


Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

by ThatTransKiddo1910



Series: Don't You Worry Child [2]
Category: Gotham (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adorable Jonathan Crane, Also Johnny boy is pretty gay, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avengers Family, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Flashbacks, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Irondad, Kitty Kat and Crow are best pals, Loki and thor are best bros, Loki has a Child, M/M, Magic Jonathan Crane, Nightmares, Not Canon Compliant, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Avengers, Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Scarecrow is an imaginary friend, lots of flashbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatTransKiddo1910/pseuds/ThatTransKiddo1910
Summary: Loki is finally going to be reunited with his child after all these years.
Relationships: Jonathan Crane & Avengers Team, Jonathan Crane/Peter Parker, Loki (Marvel) & Jonathan Crane (Gotham), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: Don't You Worry Child [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710256
Comments: 25
Kudos: 79





	1. Breathe

_ He’d screwed up. He’s screwed up big time! They were gonna find him. They’d torture him, his parent, his uncle, Kat. Oh god, Kat. He’d put her in danger, he’d never forgive himself if anything bad happened to her. What if -  _

“Jonathan!”

Kat’s voice shook him from his panicked thoughts as he looked up at her, his friend slowly and carefully removed Jonathan’s hands from his ears and held them. “Breath okay. You were starting to shut down, I need you to stay with me, okay?” Not trusting his voice, Jonathan nodded in response. “Okay, see this room?” Another nod. “I want you to tell me five things that you can see in here okay.” He could do this. “W-w-window… mattress… d-door… “ Jonathan’s eyes darted around the room. You’re doing so good Crow, just two more.” They’d done this so many times before, it felt like this was all rehearsed.

“W-walls”  _ The walls that were keeping them hidden from potential danger  _ “K-Kat.”  _ His best friend who was gonna stay with him, who’d never dream of leaving him in this state. _

“You’re doing brilliantly, Crow. Now, four things you can feel.”

_Panic._ ** _No._** _Stress._ ** _No._** _Fear._ ** _No!_** “F-floor.” _Good. Floor is good_. Jonathan reached his hand up to his hair as he thought of another thing. _Wait! Hair!_ “H-h-hair.” Kat smiled gently and rubbed her thumb across the boy's knuckles. “Kat’s hands.” _One more, almost there._ “W-wall.”

“Well done. So proud of you Jonathan. Now three things you can hear.” Kat breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her friend begin to relax. “Kat’s voice… h-heart and … umm…” Jonathan strained his ears, trying to make out any other sounds.  _ Just one more.  _ “Cars.” His heart rate was starting to return to normal. It was working. Kat saw him relax and took it as her cue to run a gentle hand through his hair, helping to ground him a little bit more. “Almost done, Crow. Two things you can smell.” 

Jonathan closed his eyes at the feeling of Kat’s hand in his hair and let out a shaky breath. “Petrol … and… the perfume Bruce got you for your birthday.” Jonathan gave a little smirk after he said this, earning a giggle from his friend. “How’d you know that?” she asked, genuinely curious. “I helped him pick it out.” Kat laughed and shook her head fondly, ruffling the boy's hair. “One thing you can taste.” Jonathan thought for a moment before answering. “That awful herbal tea your boyfriend made me drink.” he answered with a pout. His friend laughed and playfully punched him on the arm. “Feeling better now?” Jonathan nodded his head. “Much.”

_ ***One hour prior*** _

_ They shouldn’t be doing this and they both knew it. Stealing from drug dealers was dangerous and there were a  _ _ multitude of things that could go wrong.  _ _ Whilst they didn’t consider it stealing because well bad things happen to bad people, the drug dealers they planned to take it from weren’t exactly going to share the sentiment. But they really needed the money. Both teens hadn’t eaten a warm meal in days and neither wanted to feel like they were bothering Bruce for food. _

_ It had all gone well at first, they’d broken in with no problems and had no issues finding the cash. Both teens had settled on only stealing $5000. This may seem a lot but these guys were bringing in $50,000 everyday, it’s not like they were going to miss a measly $5000. However, it turns out they would. They’d been cornered by two guys in the doorway of the cash room (both men easily over 6ft tall and built like brick houses). That’s the trouble with stealing from drug gangs in Gotham, they don’t care who you are, if you steal from them they will shoot you. They’ll kill regardless of whether or not you give the money back, the disrespect of even considering stealing from them is a crime in itself.  _

_ Their attempt to make a run for the window was cut short when a bullet went flying through the air, catching it’s target. Kat’s legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor, clutching her abdomen. Jonathan’s efforts to reach for his friend were thwarted when he received a bullet in his right shoulder, sending him flying back into the wall. The gang members just snickered and started talking about “stupid kids that think they can steal from us!” _

_ Jonathan moved, barely registering his own movements. All that was going through his head was that they couldn’t die here. Kat couldn’t die here. She didn’t deserve that.  _

_ In one quick movement he brought his fist slamming down onto the floor, sending out a flash of blue light which in turn, sent their would-be killers flying back. In an instant he brought the ceiling of the drug den crashing down, grabbing hold of Kat and jumping from the window. His magic acted as stepping stones in mid air as the boy bolted towards a neighbouring roof.  _

_ They sat there for a few minutes whilst Jonathan healed both of them up. Kat was used to this by now, being one of the few people that knew about her friends abilities, so she didn’t bat an eye as the soft blue lights enveloped her wound, healing it in mere seconds. They didn’t waste too much time though, no doubt the rest of the gang would be pissed off and they weren’t about to stay and talk things out.  _

_ It was only when they reached Jonathan’s old, abandoned home, that the boy realised just what he’d done and had begun to panic. _

***Present***

“Listen, don’t let yourself get worked up, okay.” Kat held Jonathan’s face in her hands, a gesture that was not unwelcome to the boy. “Remember in the hospital in Washington?” she received a hum as an answer. “You used your magic then right?” Another hum. “Did they find you then?” Jonathan shook his head. No. “Exactly, so they’re not going to find you this time either. Okay?”

“You’re right,” Jonathan sighed, “I just get so worried, ya know?” He allowed himself to fall into Kat’s arms, wrapping his arms around her and breathing in her scent and just happy that they were both safe and both together. They sat like that for a while in a comfortable silence, content to just be in each other's company. 

However, all good things have to come to an end and both teens realised just how hungry they were, almost dying can do that to ya. “What do you want to eat?” Kat asked, only receiving a murmur and a shrug for an answer. Chuckling, she grabbed the nearest take out menu they had. “Pizza?” Jonathan sat up, about to protest that they didn’t have money (he thought they’d left the money in the drug den) only to see Kat holding a bag filled to the brim with cash. He just laughed and shook his head. “Pizza sounds great.”


	2. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The avengers get ready to head to Gotham and Jonathan recalls that one time in Washington.

***Avengers Compound***

“Okay, so do we all know the plan?” Tony received a few grumbled responses from his teammates. “Look, I’m sorry not everyone can come but the kid’s probably gonna be moving in here alright. You can meet him then. I just don’t want you guys scaring the poor kid off.” The billionaire rolled his eyes as he caught sight of Clint pouting in the corner, arms crossed and kinda resembling a stroppy toddler. “Why does Steve get to go?” Sam asked, glaring at his friend. “I’m going to make sure Tony behaves himself.” Steve already seemed exhausted with the billionaire. 

“Alright Capsicle, we don’t need one of your PSA’s.” Tony smirked as Cap’s face went pale. “I d-don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, Tony.” He turned to face the window, praying to any and all religious figures that Tony would just drop the subject. And, well, to his credit,  _ Tony  _ did. “Mr Rogers?” the super soldier turned to face Peter. The child shot him an evil smile before crossing his arms “So, you got detention. You screwed up.You know what you did was wr-” Steve stood up and started walking out of the room “I hate you all.” He muttered, playfully hitting Peter on the back of the head, “I’m going to pack.” He left the room in a huff, leaving his cackling teammates behind, even Strange appeared to find the situation amusing.

After a few minutes of the team trying to control their laughter (Bucky and Sam made sure the kid got a high five for his impression), they finally managed to compose themselves and turned their attention back to the plan at hand. “So Strange, Loki, Thor, Steve, Peter and my fabulous self will all be heading to Gotham to pick up the kid. Strange can keep us informed about the kids magic, Loki and Thor are coming for obvious reason, I’m a nosey bitch and it’s my drone, Steve is gonna be there to prevent any swears in front of the little guys and Petey is coming because he’s around the same age as Jonathan so it might put the kid at ease. Any questions?” Tony scanned the room, snickering as Bucky raised his hand. “Yes, Manchurian Candidate?”

Bucky rolled his eyes at the nickname. “What do you want the rest of us to do?” Toy thought for a moment before answering. “You just stay here and look pretty.” The super soldier was not impressed and just glared at Stark. “I’m just kidding Barnes, keep your hair on. Just stay here, do whatever you want. If you really want to help then y’all could start clearing out one of the spare rooms and get it set up nice for Jonathan when he gets here. That seem fair?” Bucky just nodded, kinda looking like he regretted asking now (he’d just volunteered himself for free labour!).

Another half an hour or so passed, as the group discussed travel plans, how long they’d be gone and which of the spare rooms Jonathan would prefer (They settled for a room in the same corridor as Thor and Loki’s. It had a beautiful bay window seat, Loki informed them that the child enjoyed watching the stars). Once everything had been settled they decided to call it a night. Those who would be travelling to Gotham headed to their rooms to make sure their bags were packed and to get some rest for the next day.

***Gotham***

Jonathan sat on the roof, gazing up at the sky. He felt a lot more relaxed now, Kat was right. If anything bad was going to come from him using his magic then it would’ve happened way before now. They’d have found him the last time he’d let slip in Washington, though that was a genuine accident. God. Washington seemed like forever ago, yet he remembered it perfectly. The pain. The fear. The humiliation. He hadn’t meant it, at least no one had gotten hurt.  **_“Maybe they should have. After all they did to you, to us. It’s the least they deserve.”_ **

Jonathan rolled his eyes and turned to face his imaginary friend, the figure's lanky form sat awkwardly on the roof beside him. It’s limbs stretched out in all directions and a smirk on its burlap covered face. “I’m not a killer, fuglahríð. And neither are you.” 

**_“I know. I’m just teasing.”_ ** It let out a sigh and lay back. Jonathan smiled and shook his head fondly. He and fuglahríð had always been friends, Jonathan’s childish mind had created him when he was only a toddler. It provided company for the lonely child, mamma/pabbi would always spend time with him but it was nice to have a friend (real or otherwise).

They sat on the roof for an hour or so before heading back inside, or Jonathan did, the lanky scarecrow disappeared when the kid climbed back inside through the window (not an uncommon occurrence). When he returned to his room he found Kat, curled up asleep on the pile of blankets they had been sharing, exactly where he left her. After curling up beside his friend, ensuring she had plenty of blankets, Jonathan allowed his mind to wander back to the events of Washington. 

_ ***Flashback- 8 months prior*** _

_ Jonathan couldn’t take this anymore. He had been strapped to his bed for what felt like an eternity. His captors (the doctor and nurses) claimed to be trying to help him but all they did was cause pain with their injections and shocks to his head. He couldn’t take it anymore, he pain, the patronising words from his tormentors, the visions … God the visions made him want to tear his eyes out.  _

_ He was tormented with images of his pabbi, sometimes pabbi would be begging smug, repulsive monsters (chitauri if he remembered correctly) for Jonathan’s life whilst the monsters mocked his pleas. Other times, he would be tortured by the visions of his pabbi being tortured by said monsters, screaming and begging … it was too much. All Jonathan wanted to do was reach for his parent, hold his hand, hug him, take him away from the chitauri and the pain. The leather straps binding his arms and legs acted as a reminder that he was helpless. All he could do was cry and scream and beg for someone to help his parent, couldn’t they see he was suffering??? _

_ He’d turn to Scarecrow for comfort. The figment of the boy’s imagination did all he could to comfort his creator. Reminding him that what he was seeing wasn’t real, trying to ground him. Feelings weren’t its strong point but seeing the boy so small and helpless distressed the creature greatly. However, the doctors took Jonathan’s pleas for Scarecrow as him being scared of the creature, rather than seeking the creature out for comfort. _

_ He wasn’t sure when the fear started to fade. The dose that Gerald gave him should have had him in this state for at least a few years and even then he’d have been lucky to get out with his sanity intact. At least, it would have if the boy was completely human.  _

_ The effects had begun to wear off gradually, the hallucinations became hazy until they stopped all together, his heart rate started to return to normal and Jonathan even found himself being able to heal his wounds from the various injections he was subjected to on a daily basis. It wasn’t long after the boy realised that the toxin was no longer muting his magic that it happened. He genuinely didn’t mean it, he didn’t want to be seen as a threat. It just sorta happened. He just wanted to go home. _

_ He’d barely had time to register what happened. One moment the doctors were getting ready to drag him off for more shock therapy and the next, they had been forced out of the room by an invisible force. The door locked behind them, whilst the workers attempted to open the door Jonathan ripped his arms free from the leather bindings and with a swift hand gesture his hospital gown was replaced with a pair of ripped jeans, a tshirt and hoodie. A stomp of his foot caused the wall of his room, the one that led to the outside, to shatter like a piece of glass in a flash of blue light. By the time the doctors managed to kick the door down, the boy was long gone. _

_ ***End Flashback*** _

Jonathan cringed at how he hadn’t thought to go back and attempt to conceal any evidence of his little escape act. But, hey, it was almost a year ago. Nothing he could do not, besides, last he’d heard the hospital had recovered quite well. After a few more moments of mentally scolding himself for being so careless, Jonathan found himself falling into a fitful sleep. 

********

Surprisingly, both teens found themselves sleeping in till mid day, very uncommon for the pair. As they grabbed a handful of cash to buy some breakfast (well more like brunch now) they were completely unaware of the jet that had not long landed on the room of the GCPD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy :)


	3. GCPD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finds out the truth about Jonathan's adopted mother and the gang call in their secret weapon to help them contact Jonathan without scaring him off.

Tony looked out the window in disgust at the grimy, run down city they’d arrived in. Everything was so dark and dirty and just generally unpleasant.  _ ‘It’s for a good cause’ _ , he reminded himself, opening the door of the jet and clapping to get the attention of his (absolutely exhausted and half asleep) team. “Good morning starshine, the earth says hello!” Tony chuckled as he watched Peter cringing at his reference before stretching and grabbing his backpack, the other avengers followed suit. 

Once everyone was ready to go, they stepped off the jet (Tony internally screamed at himself for wearing his good shoes) and took their first proper look around the city. It wasn’t Asgard, let’s just leave it at that. “Wow, this place really is a shithole.” Tony sighed, receiving a disapproving look from Steve. “Language!” he hissed. The engineer only rolled his eyes, not in the mood for a domestic. “Glad you like the place.” A sarcastic, gravelly voice caught the heroes attention.    


Steve chuckled awkwardly, “Sorry about him. Living in a luxurious tower for years hasn’t done much for his arrogance,” he held out a hand to the stranger, “Steve Rogers. Pleasure to meet you.” The man smiled and returned the handshake. “Jim Gordon. And, honestly, your friend’s kinda right about this place.” Jim huffed out a laugh, shaking his head slightly. “Nice to meet you, Jim. Oh, by the way, this is Tony, Stephen, Thor, Loki and our kid, Peter.” Steve gestured to each person as he introduced them, each of them giving the cop a wave or nod of acknowledgement. 

“Great!” Tony clapped his hands “Well, now we’re done with all the introductions, any chance we can get to work?” Jim just smiled politely and led the group downstairs. “I have a plan to get him here but we’re just missing one vital piece.” Everyone listened aptly to the detective, Loki in particular was paying attention to every word. “And what would that vital piece be?” the trickster asked (coming across much more harsh than he’d intended), clearly growing concerned for his child’s safety. Strange was quick to pick up on this, “Loki is Jonathan’s father,” he explained, “he’s just a bit worried about the safety of the child.” Jim reached his desk and fished through the drawers, searching for a file. “My apologies, detective, I did not mean to sound so aggressive.” 

The cop assured Loki that his frustration was completely justified, it wasn’t a great situation for any parent or child to be in. Finally Jim found the file he was looking for, setting in on the table for the group of heroes to see. “I met Jonathan about three years ago, he started hanging around with Bruce Wayne after Bruce’s parents were murdered. I figured they’d connected through the grief they’ve both gone through.” Loki’s head shot up at this. “Grief?” He asked, worry evident in his voice. “Umm, yes. His, uh, adopted mother?” He shot Loki a questioning look and the god nodded in response (some people still thought Jonathan was half human, easy mistake), “She died in a house fire when Jonathan was 10.” Loki blinked rapidly, attempting to force back his tears, “Karen’s dead?” He asked, his voice barely over a whisper. She was the person Loki trusted to look after his boy. She was caring, protective, an overall wonderful person. She didn’t deserve that. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” Detective Gordon’s voice seemed like it was miles away, Loki hadn’t even realised he’d lost his balance until he felt his brothers strong arms wrap around him, holding him up.

Thor guided his brother down into a seat, generously provided by the detective, and ran his hands through the younger's hair in an attempt to ground him. All of this was getting too much for his brother, Loki’s mind was fragile right now. He was dissociating. Not. Good.

Detective Gordon gestured for Tony, Steve and Stephen to follow him, Peter had settled for trying to help Thor calm his brother. “Look, I think you three should read Jonathan’s file and either tell Loki or let him read it later, you know, when he’s a little more stable. I don’t want him getting any more upset.” Steve thanked him and took the file “You’re a good man detective.” Before the cop could answer, he was cut off by another voice. “Jim! I just got a call from Alfred. She’s headed here now.” The older cop struggled to catch his breath, damn he was getting too old for this crap. “Thanks Harvey.” Jim patted his partner on the shoulder and rushed off, earning an eye roll from Harvey as he followed him.

“Jesus.” Steve sighed as he flipped through the kids file. “I know right, this place is a shambles. I mean how the hell do they get any work done here?” Tony perched himself on the nearest desk, glaring when Strange slapped him on the back on the head, a silent warning to behave himself. “Not that! This kid’s been to hell and back. His adoptive mother died saving him from a fire, his adopted father turns into a murderer and injects him with some kind of fear juice. Then there’s the stuff that Loki and Thor have already told us. I’m surprised the kid got out with his sanity intact.” Tony swiped the file from his friend and skimmed through it. “Holy shit!” “Language!” “Not now Capsicle. They experimented on him, shock therapy, ice baths, they were taking blood samples at least once or twice a day. That could’ve killed him! Oh we are gonna sue some bitches, I swear to Thor and Loki.” Cap sent him a disapproving look but Tony brushed it off in favour of handing the file to Stephen. “Hey Doc, want to have a look and see if the kid’s gonna have any lasting effect.” 

“There’s always a chance of some lasting effects, I might examine him later and see what I can find but there’s a good chance he’ll have gotten out physically unharmed. His parents aren’t exactly human, but there may be some mental scars.” Tony raised an eyebrow at this. “His mental state wasn’t exactly the best before the toxin and I doubt seeing horrifying images day in and day out for months can have any positive effect on a person's mental state.” Strange turned back to Loki, a solemn look on his face. “Do you think the kid’ll benefit from talking to a specialist? Maybe some medication?” Steve asked, he wasn’t a psychology expert but he knew that a little help was sometimes needed. Strange just shrugged, it was honestly impossible to tell at this point, Jonathan could be absolutely fine or he could be a nervous wreck. It was impossible to know what to expect.”If he needs help then I’ll get the best damn psychology team there is to help him.” This caused Stephen to smile. For a guy who could come across as a bit cold and arrogant, he really had a soft spot for kids who needed help.

********

Loki had started to calm down now, slowly returning to his brother and Peter. “Hey there.” Thor smiled, taking hold of his brother's hand, Peter keeping a firm grip of the trickster's other hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Thor cut him off, getting worked up would not do his brother any good. “‘Tis fine brother. A completely understandable reaction to such news.” After a few moments Loki pulled away and thanked Thor and Peter for being there for him. He cupped Peter’s face and gave him a soft smile “Such a caring and selfless child.” Peter just awkwardly returned the smile, he’d always been awkward receiving any sort of praise.

Tony plopped himself down on a chair next to the god. “He’s great, ain’t he?” He grinned. “Indeed.” Loki agreed. Stark handed Loki a cup of coffee which he graciously accepted. “Figured you could use one of these.” He was right, the coffee was a welcome comfort, the warm drink helping to calm him. Tony began sipping his own coffee, content for the time being. 

That is, until a figure landed on the desk beside the billionaire, scaring the shit out of him and causing him to spill the hot coffee all down his front. This led to him jumping up and shouting a string of cuss words so bad that Cap wound up clamping a hand over Tony’s mouth to “prevent the children from hearing any more foul words.” Wait, children? 

Once Tony calmed down and the other had stopped laughing, he turned back to the figure on the desk who’d caused him to embarrass himself in the first place. He was met with a teen girl with curly hair, piercing green eyes and a smug smirk on her face. “Heard you lot needed my help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was supposed to be a longer chapter but I'm exhausted and decided to just make the next chapter longer. I hope y'all enjoy. I'll try and get the next chapter up tomorrow.


	4. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're finally together :D

“Jesus kid! You couldn’t just walk in like a normal person!” Tony stared at the teen, a shocked expression plastered across his face (this soon turned to a glare when the girl snickered at him). Jim nodded at the girl “Selina.” She returned the nod “Jim.” She hopped down from the desk and stole Tony’s seat, swinging her legs over the arm of the chair (and sticking her tongue out at the engineer when he glared at her). “Bruce said you needed my help, said it was urgent.” 

“Bruce was right.” The detective replied, “You’re still close friends with Jonathan Crane, correct?”

“Yeah… why?” Kat could feel herself getting a little anxious, though she did a good job of hiding it. “We need you to get him to come here. He doesn’t trust us enough to come on his own accord.” 

“Can you blame him? After everything that’s happened I’m surprised he hasn’t killed you or one of your cops.”

“I understand, Selina. But this is for his own good. He isn’t safe here, he needs to be in a safe environment with people who can properly understand him and his … umm… abilities.”

“His magic, you mean?” She smirked at the look of shock plastered on all the mens faces. “H-how… how did you know ab-”

“We’ve been best friends since we were kids, you really think there was any chance I wouldn’t know about it?” Kat raised an eyebrow at the shellshocked adults. “S-so you’ve known for a while, young lady?” Steve forced himself to be polite though he wasn’t really sure what to make of the girl. He was used to Peter being a really polite and well mannered kid but this girl didn’t seem to care much in the way of manners, this was further proven when she replied to his question with a “Duh.” and an eye roll. “So, you want me to lure him here?” the rest of the group nodded “And why should I trust any of you?”

“What do you mean, kid? We just want to help him” Tony asked, insulted that she’d believe there was any reason to distrust them. “Help him? Like those doctors ‘helped’ him?” She shot a glare at Jim who looked away, visibly uncomfortable. “Electric shock therapy, ice baths, isolation and violence didn’t help him. I wanna know exactly what you’re planning to do with him and I’ll decide if it’s what's best for Crow. Sound good?” The adults could only quietly agree with her, after all, she was their only hope of getting Jonathan to come with them willingly. Loki said nothing, glaring at the detective.  _ Did he know what they were doing to his child? Did he just sit back and allow it to happen? Did he get some sick satisfaction from knowing that his baby was being tortured?  _ Thor's firm hand on his shoulder drew the god back to reality. Stephen had just finished listing off ways in which they wanted to help Jonathan; providing a safe environment for him, making sure he had access to any treatment he may require, providing the appropriate resources to help the boy gain more control over his abilities, hell, they could even sort out school for him, if that’s something the child would be interested in. 

“He’d get the chance to be with his family again”, Strange gestured towards Loki and Thor, “his father and uncle have missed him greatly.” The girl glanced at the two gods before her and turned back to Strange. “Pabbi.” The sorcerer raised an eyebrow in confusion. “He calls his parent pabbi or mamma. The one that overdosed him with the fear toxin was his ‘father’.” Loki smiled at this, “So you will aid us with this task, child?” He spoke for the first time since the girl appeared. “Sure,” she gave him a genuine smile, “he talks about you a lot. He really misses you.” Loki unconsciously brushed his fingers against the pendant that hung around his neck and smiled solemnly. “I miss him too.” He whispered.

Kat turned to the rest of the group.”So,” she smirked, “how’re we doing this?”

********

Jonathan sighed as he jumped and climbed from building to building. He had just received a call from Kat on his old, beaten up phone, to let him know she’d been caught shoplifting and he had to come get her.  _ Great _ . He’d told her to be careful, she was lucky it was the police that had caught her, some of the shopkeepers in this city would have shot her there and then without a second thought. There was a small part of him that felt something was a little off though.  _ Kat had been stealing since she was like five or six, why would she be so careless? Why would the cops even give her a phone call in the first place? They knew she didn’t have any family so why not just call social services or something instead? _ The boy shook his head as he landed gracefully on a fire escape. Kat wouldn’t lie to him, he was probably just anxious from what happened the previous day. Yeah. That was it.

Jonathan felt his heartbeat speed up as he stared across the street at the GCPD. The terror of the fear toxin had faded but he was still anxious, timid, fearful, all that fun stuff. The building didn’t hold the greatest memories for Jonathan and with his general distrust of cops, the last place he wanted to be was a building full of them.  **‘Scared?’** Jonathan shook his head “No, fuglahríð.”  **‘We’ve been sitting here for ten minutes. If you’re not scared then what’s keeping you?’** “I’m not scared. I’m just thinking.”  **‘You can’t lie to me, bud. You’re nervous at least.’** “Can you blame me?” The lanky figure latched its feet onto one of the railings above them, letting itself dangle upside down in front of the boy.  **‘No.’** “Good, now can you give me a minute please? They already think I’m insane, it won’t help my case if I walk in talking to myself.” The scarecrow understood, reaching one of its talon-like hands out to ruffle Jonathan's hair before vanishing. After taking a few more moments to compose himself, Jonathan leapt off the fire escape, making almost no sound as he landed expertly on his feet and started walking towards the GCPD.

********

“I knew it!” Steve glazed at Tony in confusion. Selina had made the call to Jonathan so all they could do now was sit and wait for the boy to show up, Tony had decided to properly read through Jonathan’s files. “What?” Cap asked, genuinely curious. “I knew I’d seen the name Crane before. Jonathan’s dad is the serial killer that targeted phobics. Gerald Crane.” Steve shook his head. “You already knew that Jonathan’s dad was a serial killer Tones, we brought it up earlier.” Tony rolled his eyes, “Yeah I knew that, I just didn’t realise his dad was  _ this  _ level of messed up. Poor kid.” Steve shot Tony a look of silent agreement before turning his attention to Thor and Loki. The God of Mischief had been in a state of excitement/worry since he was told that the child would be here soon. 

“What if he doesn’t want anything to do with me, brother? I thought that family would take care of him, I didn’t know that things would happen as they did-” A firm but calming voice cut him off. “Brother, you are a wonderful parent. Fenrir knows this, you were always the center of his world. He will understand.” 

“Thor’s right, Loki. You can’t see into the future, there’s no way you could’ve known what would happen.” Strange gave Loki a gentle pat on the shoulder. The god seemed to relax a little at this. “You can see into the future. Where were you when I needed you?” Loki smirked, his smirk and tone assuring Stephen that he was merely jesting, he meant to real harm in his words. The sorcerer just returned Loki’s smirk and turned back to the door, keeping an eye out for Loki’s child. The trickster whispered something to his brother, causing the older man to chuckle and shake his head, calling out to Tony. “Stark! My brother wishes to know if some gifts could be arranged for Fen- Jonathan?” Tony’s eyes lit up. He wouldn’t admit it but he loved getting gifts for people, the look on their faces when they opened their gifts was something that made the engineer feel warm and fuzzy inside (though he’d deny this to anyone who had the nerve to ask). “Sure Point Break, what kinda gifts are you after?” 

The adults froze for a moment. What gifts could they get the kid? Most of them hadn’t met the kid before and the last time his parent and uncle had seen him he’d been a little kid. “When he was a child, he was fascinated with astrology. Anything related to the stars or space in general really interested him. Do his interests still lie in that area?” Loki directed his question towards Kat. The girl was Jonathan’s best friend, she was bound to know best. “Yeah, he’s a little nerd when it comes to anything to do with space.” She smiled fondly. “Any other suggestions, young one? You are more likely to know his likes and dislikes better than any of us.” Thor smiled, allowing the girl to take her time as she thought. “He likes mythology. Anything to do with mythical creatures, old folktales, legends. He loves that kind of stuff. He loves any kind of horror movies, has a soft spot for old campy horrors but pretty much anything horror related is cool with him. Especially the Halloween and Evil Dead series. Umm, he likes reading too, he’ll read anything and art, he loves drawing and painting and stuff. He loves crows, animals in general but crows are his favourites. Oh and he likes to play the piano. Bruce has the awesome grand piano at his place, Jonathan played it for hours. He’s really good at it.” 

Loki felt himself grinning from ear to ear. His child hadn’t changed one bit. Even when he was little, he’d ask Loki to tell him stories about the ‘ghosties and ghoulies’ and loved the piano lessons that Frigga would provide, it was the time when the two would spend some quality time together. Tony smiled and took note of everything the girl said, loading up his Stark Pad and starting his search online for gifts that matched Selina’s description. He allowed Loki to help out and pick a few items that he’d like his child to have and wound up asking Peter to help out with a few things, Tony wasn’t sure what kinds of books the youngsters were reading these days and he’d never been a fan of horror (Peter wasn’t either but he was still able to help find some horror movies and memorabilia that Jonathan might like). Once they’d finished, Tony had put in a special order for all the gifts (including a special gift that he’d put in a very special and specific order for) to be delivered by tomorrow night at the latest, being a billionaire has perks like not having to wait weeks on your items. 

Not long after they’d finished their shopping spree, which totally didn’t go over 10 thousand dollars, Tony, Peter and Loki realised the room had gone eerily quiet, only filled with a few concerned whispers and they followed everyone else's gaze to the anxious figure who’d just walked through the front door.

********

This was not good. Everyone was looking at him. Judging him. Plotting against him. No. No they weren’t going to hurt him. He wasn’t dangerous. They knew that, right. Right?  **‘Breathe’** Jonathan could hear fuglahríð’s voice in his head, attempting to soothe him.  **‘They won’t hurt you. Kat wouldn’t have brought you to a place where people would want to hurt you, right’** He had a point. Kat was his best friend, she would kill anyone that laid a finger on him, she wouldn’t have called him if she thought for a second that he might be put in danger. This eased Jonathan’s anxiety a little but he was still on edge. That is, until he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

“Crow, over here!” He smiled when he saw Kat. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he rushed over to greet her, receiving a warm hug and gentle kiss on his cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked, voice hoarse (he barely spoke unless it was to Kat or Bruce) “You said you got arrested.” Kat looked slightly guilty for a moment before smiling. “Sorry Crow, I had to get you to come here. There’s someone who really wanted to see you.” She looked behind Jonathan and the boy felt his anxiety pick up a little.  _ Had she lured him here so the doctors could take him away? Was he going to get experimented on? Had they threatened Kat to try and get him here? _ **‘Breathe Jonathan.’** The voice in his head was comforting in a way and he worked up the courage to turn around and face the person that his best friend was smiling at. He froze, eyes welling up with tears and he didn’t trust his legs in case they gave out. 

“P-pabbi?” He choked out, his voice was soft and quiet but Loki heard it and that’s all he needed to rush over and gather his child in his arms. The boy clung to him instantly, tears falling and his legs turning to jelly. His pabbi noticed this right away and guided him to one of the empty seats, running a hand through his hair and allowing the child to cling to him for as long as he needed. Jonathan had wanted to tell his pabbi how much he missed him, how happy he was to see him, how much he loved him but the only sounds he could make were soft whimpers.

Loki could sense that the child was desperate to say something, anything to him but couldn’t. He pulled his child closer, raking his fingers through the boy's hair and letting him cry. It was best to let the child speak when he was ready, they had all the time in the world and it wouldn’t do any good to rush him.

Tony turned to the rest of the cops in the room who could only stare in shock at the scene unfolding in front of them. “Don’t you all have work to do? You better get to it, if you did your work instead of watching this little family reunion then maybe, just maybe, this city wouldn’t be such a shithole.” The cops huffed and glared but returned to their work. “Language!”

Tony turned and made a face to Loki at Cap’s reply. This earned a giggle from the god and the two shared a smile for a second before Loki mouthed a  _ ‘thank you’,  _ the billionaire just nodded and left the parent and child, figuring they’d benefit from a bit of time together. Loki turned back to Jonathan as his whimpering and crying seemed to quiet down, thanking the norns that he finally had his baby back. Remembering how he used to calm Jonathan down when he was a little boy, Loki smiled and started singing the boy’s favourite lullaby. 

“Móðir mín í kví, kví,

Kvíddu ekki því, því,

Ég skal ljá þér duluna mína

Duluna mína að dansa í

Og dansa í.”

This appeared to do the trick as the boy’s eyes started to grow heavy and he fell into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in god knows how long. “Sleep now, litli minn” Loki soothed, “I love you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so late y'all. I kinda had a bad migraine and ended up passing out so couldn't write for a little bit. That ain't fun. But hey, I finally got this chapter done. 
> 
> Btw the song Loki sings to Jonathan at the end is an old Icelandic song which I think is equal parts creepy and beautiful and kinda wanted to include it in this fic. 
> 
> How y'all enjoy :)


	5. Nosocomephobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter feels guilty about the slight jealousy he's feeling, Tony helps him to talk it out and Jonathan learns that warming up to people is a little easier than it seems.

Peter stared longingly at the trickster and his son, feeling a slight pang of jealousy that was almost immediately replaced with guilt.  _ What was wrong with him? Was he really that selfish?  _ Peter shook his head and turned his attention to his Stark pad, attempting to distract himself with some chemistry homework. He wasn’t selfish. He genuinely was happy for Loki, the god had been through so much that he deserved this happiness as did Jonathan. Peter didn’t know much about the other boy but he could tell just by looking at him that the boy had missed his parent, he needed Loki as much as Loki needed him. And he was over the moon that both of them had found each other, he really was. It was just … seeing the pair sitting there, so content to just be in each other's company, it made him realise how much he missed it. He missed his parents. Sure, he didn’t remember them much but that just made him long to see them again that bit more. He wanted to curl up beside his dad, feel his mother's hands running through his hair as she sang to him. _ God he was awful. He was making this about him. This was about Loki and Jonathan, how could he be this selfish. _

The boy didn’t notice as his eyes brimmed with tears, but Tony did. He noticed how Peter played with his hair (an action that signified when the kid was distressed) and just how generally upset his kid seemed to be. The billionaire stood up and muttered something to Steve about needing some fresh air before walking up to Peter.

The kid was so wrapped up in his internal drama that he didn’t even register Tony stood beside him, he didn’t acknowledge his father figures existence until he felt a strong, comforting hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he was met by Tony’s kid eyes (the ones that seemed to be reserved for Peter). “You okay kiddo?” Tony asked. “Uh y-yeah Mister Stark. Why-why do you ask?” Peter cursed his stupid nervous stutter. “You know you’re a terrible liar kid.” Tony smirked, helping Peter to stand up and handing him a jacket. “I saw an ice cream joint at the end of the street. Let’s go get some ice cream and you can tell me what’s bothering you.” Sensing that there was no room for argument ( _ you _ try and talk Tony Stark out of something) Peter took the jacket and sheepishly followed Tony out of the precinct, waving goodbye to the rest of his family as he went.

********

Jonathan awoke after about an hour, gazing around the unfamiliar surroundings in confusion at first until his eyes landed on his pabbi. The memories of earlier came rushing back and he smiled, snuggling closer to Loki, relaxing at the feeling of gentle fingers running through his hair. “How are you feeling, elskan?” Pabbi asked, gently lifting his child's head to face him. “Okay.” The child responded, “Missed you.” Loki smiled. “I missed you too, sweet face.” Jonathan just smiled and tucked his head into the crook of Loki’s neck, clearly not 100% ready to chat yet, instead just wanting to feel his pabbi’s presence. Understandable. Loki would stay with his little one for as long as he needed.

********

“So, what’s bothering you, bud?” Tony asked. They were currently sitting in a dingy ice cream joint. Not Tony’s first choice for ice cream but it was close to the GCPD, the ice cream was decent and the little old lady who served them seemed pretty nice (though Tony was sure he’d seen her mugshot in the newspaper before. This suspicion was confirmed when F.R.I.D.A.Y ran a scan, the sweet little old lady had been in prison for skinning twenty five people. Lovely). Peter looked as though he was going to lie again before giving up and looking down, shaking his head. “Is it about Loki and Jonathan?” A nod. “You know Loki still loves you too right? He sees you as family and that’s not going to change anytime soon. He’s just excited to have his other kid back.”

“It’s not that, Mister Stark. I just … I feel, like, a little bit jealous. W-well not jealous but … s-sad, I guess. Nevermind, it’s stupid.” Peter kept his head down. Tony raised an eyebrow. “You missing your parents, kiddo?” Not trusting his voice, Peter nodded. “You do realise that that’s okay, right?” This caught Peter’s attention and he looked up. “R-really?” He stuttered. “Of course it is. Kid, you’ve been through more sh-crap in your 15 years of life than most adults ever go through. You’re absolutely allowed to feel a little bit jealous of Loki and Jonathan. You’re allowed to be sad about it sometimes, no one is expecting you to be happy all the time.” Tony’s words hit the boy like a ton of bricks. He was right. Peter was allowed to feel sad about his parents,that wasn’t selfish right? “I still miss my parents Pete, it’s not selfish, it’s not bad, it’s just natural. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t miss them a little. And, look, I know I’m not biologically your dad but you’re my kid. If you feel sad or angry or scared or just want to talk, you can always talk to me, okay?” Peter felt the tears welling up again, though not out of sadness this time. Tony, like always, noticed and slid into the seat beside his kid, wrapping an arm around him and just holding him until his sobbing died down. The poor kid had been through hell, it was the least Tony could do. 

“Just remember, we’re all family okay. Me, you, the rest of the avengers, May, all of us, Jonathan now too. You can talk to any of us if you need to. You don’t have to be upbeat and happy every second of every day, no one expects that from you. We all have our issues but we work through them together, because we’re family. I’m sure your mom, dad and uncle Ben would be happy that you’re surrounded by people who care about you.” Peter didn’t know how to express his gratitude to his mentor or tell him how much those words meant to him so he opted for hugging the man tightly, hoping his emotions would be expressed through his actions. They definitely were.

********

It had been about half an hour since Jonathan woke up and he’d finally been a bit more prepared for human interaction. Allowing Loki to introduce him to Steve and Stephen as well as receiving a hug from his uncle Thor. He still wasn’t fully comfortable with the two new men, or the majority of the cops in the building, so opted for keeping close to his family, chatting softly with Kat whilst the adults chatted about one thing or another. Everything went well until Kat got a call from Bruce and left Jonathan, giving him a peck on the cheek and promising to come back as soon as she could before rushing off, muttering something about saving Bruce’s ass for the hundredth time this month. Jonathan’s anxiety didn’t spike too much at this. Until Thor and Loki were also called away to deal with something. Loki was reluctant to leave his child but Strange and Rogers assured him that Jonathan would be safe, Jonathan just nodded along with them, not wanting to seem too clingy. It was only when he was completely alone with these two new men that his anxiety began to worsen. Steve attempted to make conversation and, to his credit, Jonathan answered the best he could. He was perfectly polite but Steve soon realised just how much of an anxious mess the boy was and decided to grab a nearby crossword puzzle to occupy himself with, allowing the boy to make the first move. 

It worked rather well, Stephen watched fondly as the nervous boy grew curious after twenty minutes or so and slowly made his way over to the super soldier. “Nosocomephobia.” The boy spoke softly, drawing the soldiers attention to him. “Hmm?” Jonathan pointed to the page. “A 14 letter word, meaning fear of hospitals. It’s nosocomephobia.” Steve filled in the word, raising his eyebrows in surprise and smiling at the boy. “It is indeed. Thank you Jonathan. Do you want to help me with the rest? I’ve never been good with these puzzles.” Jonathan hesitated for a moment before nodding, taking a seat beside Steve. He kept some distance between them at first but after a while he relaxed enough to sit right beside Steve, resting his head on the super soldiers shoulder as they completed the crossword.

Loki felt himself almost tear up when he and Thor returned to this sight after their call with Pepper. Seeing his child trusting another person made Loki feel like the proudest parent in existence. “See, brother. He will be okay. This is something we can work past.” Thor laid a hand on Loki’s shoulder, receiving a grin from his brother in response. “We just have to introduce him to Stark and young Peter.” Loki said after a few moments. Thor hummed in agreement before pointing to the front door of the GCPD. “Perfect timing.” He chuckled, Loki followed his brother's gaze until his eyes landed on Stark and the child walking through the front door, looking much happier than they had when they’d left.  _ Well, speak of the devil.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter with Peter being sad, Tony being a great dad and some slight Jonathan and Steve fluff.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy :)


	6. Young Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan and Peter meet for the first time and they both feel some very unusual feelings.

_ This is nice _ , Jonathan thought. He was sitting beside the super soldier, helping him with his crossword and, for the first time in forever, he actually felt content being in the company of an adult that wasn’t a relative. The soldier hadn’t tried to take advantage of Jonathan’s trust, hadn’t tried to hurt him, hell, he hadn’t even pushed Jonathan away when he got too close. He just simply allowed the teen to rest his head on his shoulder, smiling fondly when the teen gave a correct answer. It was comforting to know that not all adults wanted to hurt him, manipulate him or make him feel worthless. 

Jonathan was so wrapped up in the crossword puzzle that he didn’t notice his pabbi and uncle were back, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the child slowly coming out of his shell. He only registered that they were back when Loki took a seat beside him and Thor walked past them, ruffling Jonathan’s hair as he went. “Having fun?” Loki asked, gently fixing Jonathan’s hair from where his brother had messed it up. Jonathan nodded, “I’m helping Mr Rogers with his crossword puzzle.” He responded, voice as soft and quiet as ever. “That seems like fun.” Loki smiled as Jonathan turned back to the puzzle. The soldier shot Loki a smile which the trickster returned, grateful that Steve had been so willing to interact with his child and make him feel comfortable, it meant a great deal to him. “What about this one?” Steve asked, “Nocturnal, bony-plated mammal. Nine letters.” Barely a second passed before the boy answered. “Armadillo.” Steve chuckled and filled in the answer, thanking Jonathan whilst Loki raised his eyebrows in confusion. “What is an armadillo, elskan?” He asked, genuinely curious about this new midguardian creature. “They’re little creatures with these bony plates that cover their head, back and tail. They’re very solitary animals and they dig for food and to make their burrows. They’re really cute.” Steve and Stephen shared a look of surprise, the boy had abandoned his quiet voice (more of a whisper) to excitedly ramble about the little creatures. Jonathan noticed this too, blushing and looking down as he muttered a ‘sorry’. 

“That’s perfectly fine, bud. Glad to see you’re so passionate about armadillos. Your little friend said you liked animals.” Steve smiled, wanting to pat the kid on the shoulder but too scared of frightening him to do so. Jonathan just nodded, still a little embarrassed. They returned to the crossword, occasionally making conversation about a few of the answers (or to explain some of the mid guardian things to Loki) but otherwise they continued in relative silence. That was, until Thor returned with Tony and Peter in tow.

“Friend Stark, Young Spiderling, I would like for you to meet my nephew. Fen-Jonathan!” Thor boomed, causing Jonathan to eye the two newcomers with curiosity. They seemed harmless enough, hell one of them looked to be sound Jonathan’s age, he always found it easier to trust people his own age compared to adults. “Hey kiddo. My name’s Tony, good to see you’re doing better.” Tony shot him a warm smile, the lack of maliciousness allowing Jonathan to let his guard down a bit. “H-hey. I’m Peter.” The boy, Peter, held out a hand which Jonathan wasn’t hesitant to take. Peter let out an excited giggle, proud of himself for not scaring the beautiful, blue eyed boy in front of him.

_ Damn, he’s cute. That giggle was everything _ , Jonathan thought.

_ God, look at those eyes!  _ Peter thought,  _ And his hands are so soft! He’s gorgeous! _

“Hey,” Jonathan responded, back to his usual soft voice, “I’m Jonathan. Nice to meet you both.” Tony chuckled and made a comment about how such a polite kid was related to Loki, earning a slap on the back of the head from the god. Jonathan chuckled and it instantly warmed his pabbi’s heart to hear him laughing again. After all he’d been through, Loki was worried he wouldn’t hear that sound ever again. 

The group sat together for a while just chatting. Well, the adults chatted. Peter and Jonathan were content to just listen, catching themselves staring at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Tony and Stephen, of course, noticed this immediately. Eventually though, Thor declared that he was hungry and Jonathan offered to go with him to a local pizza place a few streets over. As he stood up, Jonathan flipped his soft, messy hair out of his face, unintentionally making Peter practically melt in the corner. 

Loki decided to go with his brother and son to help them carry the food back (Tony had given them a list that came to well over 300 bucks). Once they’d left, Tony slid over to Peter, nudging him with his elbow and shooting him a knowing smirk. “Earth to Captain Heart Eyes.” He waved a hand in front of his kids face to get his attention. “Hmm, sorry! What was that Mister Stark?” Stephen chuckled and shook his head. “You. Staring at Jonathan. I know what that look means, someone has a crush.” Tony teased, laughing as Peter’s face went bright red. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Me a-and Jonathan… like h-how … why … I don’t like him l-like Mister Stark.” It was Steve’s turn to laugh now. “Bud, I didn’t notice anything before but the way you’re acting now is definitely not helping your case.” Peter willed himself to stop blushing. Was he really that obvious? Had Jonathan noticed? Oh god, what if Jonathan had noticed and that’s why he was going with his parent and uncle, because Peter had made him uncomfortable.

The boy hid his face in his hands, groaning. He’d messed it up already and he’d only just met the other teen. Tony just chuckled and pulled him into a hug. “I think it’s adorable. Young love is just precious.” Peter groaned and muttered an ‘I hate you’ before playfully punching his mentor on the arm. “You know, Peter, having a crush on someone isn’t the end of the world.” Strage spoke up, giving the teen a sincere look. “Besides, did it ever occur to you that Jonathan might be going through the exact same thing?” Peter just shot the sorcerer a questioning look. “He kept staring at you when we were talking.” Stephen explained, “And he didn’t hesitate to shake your hand. It took him a half hour to even consider sitting close to Steve.” Peter thought it through. He hadn’t seen Jonathan looking at him, maybe Doctor Strange was mistaken. What could Jonathan possibly see in him? And besides, the whole physical contact thing could be explained away with the fact that he was the same age as Jonathan, maybe that’s how he was more comfortable around Peter. Also, assuming the anxious boy did like him, how would Thor and Loki react? They seemed pretty protective over the teen so it made sense that they’d be unsure about him dating, even if it was Peter. He was sure that Thor and (especially) Loki would not be happy if they found out about Peter’s true feelings. And, ignoring everything else, Peter didn’t even know if Jonathan liked guys. “Fine.” He finally groaned out. “I like him, okay. Just… please don’t tell anyone, especially Mr Loki and Mr Thor.” The trio of adults laughed but allowed themselves to be sworn to secrecy, like they’d tell anyone anyway. No matter how adorable this situation was.

After twenty minutes or so, Peter decided to head out for a walk (after a while of convincing Mister Stark, he was still pretty protective and definitely not a fan of Peter’s idea). He could maybe try to figure out his feelings and (more importantly) what he was going to do about them. _ You can’t just walk up to someone you’ve just met and tell them you have a crush on them _ , Peter reminded himself as he grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.

********

Loki hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face since he’d first laid eyes on his child. It still felt so unreal, like he could wake up at any moment and discover this had all just been a really amazing dream. Though, the feeling of Jonathan’s hand in his own was enough to convince him that this was reality, a chance for Loki to finally be happy and content for once. The walk to the fast food restaurant was filled with Thor’s tales from battle, making Loki roll his eyes. His brother really did love to brag. It didn’t bother the trickster too much, however, as Jonathan had always been fascinated with his uncle's tales (fiction or not) and seeing the look of wide eyed innocence and fascination in the child’s eyes was enough to make Loki’s heat melt.

They got to the restaurant almost without incident. They had lightly chided Jonathan for knocking a garbage can into a store window, shattering it instantly. They had warmed up slightly when they realised he’d been causing a distraction so a young girl (Ivy the boy had told them) could steal some supplies. It also became apparent that the owner wasn’t exactly a nice gentleman anyway (apparently a drug dealer and part time hitman) so they’d let it go. Kids will be kids after all. Besides, Thor and Loki couldn’t claim to have been completely innocent when they were children either. 

After they’d listed off their order (Jonathan having to explain the concept of waiting in line to his relatives) they took their food and started to head back, pausing when Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks. “Hey, I umm, have to feed some pigeons.” His pabbi and uncle stared at him, confused. “M-my friend looks after pigeons, I’m looking after them for her. Can I meet you back at the station?” 

“Will you be okay, little one?” Thor asked. “Yeah, they’re just on that rooftop over there.” The two demigods followed Jonathan’s gaze, having a quick silent conversation before agreeing. “Just be careful, elskan.” Loki reminded him, taking the pizza boxes from Jonathan and placing a kiss on his forehead. “I know, pabbi. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes at most. Promise.” Thor chuckled and ruffled his nephews hair before he went on his way. The two watched Jonathan go until he was out of site. “Do not fret, brother. He will be back soon enough, he is familiar with these streets.” Thor shot his brother a smile which the trickster returned, grateful that his brother knew exactly what to say to calm his nerves. He was right. Jonathan knew these streets like the back of his hand. He’d be fine.

********

Jonathan smiled when he reached the shed on the rooftop, hearing the birds greeting him as he approached. Staying true to his word, he fed the birds swiftly, only staying for a couple of minutes more to gently pet the birds that approached him. He was glad they were warming up to him, they were usually very distrusting of anyone that wasn’t Bridget. “Okay guys be good. Kat’s gonna feed you tomorrow, alright.” He smiled at the creatures and jumped from the roof, sliding down a drainpipe and landing gracefully on the fire escape. He was about to make his way down to the ground until something caught his attention.

A very familiar, very cute brunette curled up on the ground and surrounded by a group of very large men armed with baseball bats and chains. Great. Maybe he wasn’t going to be back as quickly as he’d promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any spelling mistakes. Also this fic is gonna get back to the avengers compound soon, I haven't forgot about the others. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy :)


	7. Saviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets attacked by some thugs. Lucky for him, he has a guardian angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some violence in this chapter. Not super graphic but if it's a trigger or anything then please don't read.

**After twenty minutes or so, Peter decided to head out for a walk (after a while of convincing Mister Stark, he was still pretty protective and definitely not a fan of Peter’s idea). He could maybe try to figure out his feelings and (more importantly) what he was going to do about them.** **_You can’t just walk up to someone you’ve just met and tell them you have a crush on them_ ** **, Peter reminded himself as he grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.**

Peter had been so caught up in his thoughts about the (incredibly cute) boy he’d just met that he wasn’t paying too much attention to where he was going. Even his spidey sense couldn’t stop him from colliding with the much larger (and much more intimidating) gentleman in front of him and knocking the unsuspecting man on his ass. 

That was enough to bring Peter back down to Earth as he stared at the man like a deer in headlights for a few moments, quickly trying to compose himself. “S-sorry sir.” He managed to stammer out, holding out a hand to help the man to his feet. The hand was smacked away as the irritated man stood, towering over Peter. “What’s your problem, kid? You blind or somethin’ ?” he snapped, glaring angrily at the boy.

“I g-guess I wasn’t paying attention. I’m really sorry, sir.” 

The man took a step towards him and Peter took a nervous step back, frantically reaching for his web shooters and cursing himself when he realised they were still in the GCPD.  _ Great _ , he thought,  _ of course this would happen to me. Guess I’m just gonna fight my way out of th _ is. 

It seemed like lady luck was just not on his side today. Before he could raise his hands to defend himself from the punch that he just knew was coming, the teen felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. It took a second that someone had managed to sneak up behind him and strike him on the back of the head. The surprise attacker managed to land another hit (in almost the exact same spot. Ouch, man!) which succeeded in disorientating the hero. Peter barely registered much else that happened. The pain was all he could focus on. At one point he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, registering a few seconds later that he’d been stabbed. _ God, I’m gonna die here. And it’s not even gonna be a cool super villain that kills me.  _ Peter knew it was petty but if he was gonna die, he’d thought it would be a bit more … superhero-y (?). Not getting beaten to death by a bunch of thugs, especially when he’d beaten up so many of these types of people in the past.

He was on the verge of passing out when his vision was suddenly filled with a blinding blue light and the group of men that had been attacking him (was there really  _ that  _ many of them???) were sent flying back. He was still disorientated. He could hear a fair bit of commotion that was followed by a blood curdling scream. 

Turning, Peter was met with the sight of Jonathan standing over the larger man, eyes completely black and demeanour intimidating as the man begged and clawed at the air, still letting out that blood curdling scream.

That was all Peter managed to see before his vision faded and he passed out.

******** 

When Peter awoke he was leaning upright against a wall, he vaguely noticed that he was on the roof of a building. Jonathan was crouched down in front of him - eyes back to that unique shade of blue - cleaning the blood off his face with a washcloth. Peter momentarily questioned where the other boy had gotten a washcloth but just brushed it off as magic. Jonathan smiled at him when he awoke, asking him if he was okay. He seemed to be back to his usual self.

Peter nodded at the other teens' question. “Jonathan … “ he started, noting how said boy tensed up, a slight flash of worry crossing his face. “Y-yeah?”

“What happened back there? Why was that man so scared of you?”

********

He’d scared him. Peter was scared of him now. He thought Jonathan was a freak. He’d gone and ruined everything.  **_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ **

He hadn’t meant it. He’d just planned to jump down, get those people away from Peter and get his new friend to safety. That was … until he saw the blood … and the knife.

Something inside him had snapped.

He’d already lost enough friends. Stabbed for entertainment, set on fire, frozen. He couldn’t lose Peter too. He hadn’t meant to go so far.

Before he’d even realised what he was doing, he’d jumped down from the roof and sent the men flying in one swift movement. He should’ve stopped right there, they were all down. They weren't a threat. But he’d seen the blood soaking Peter’s shirt, seen the cuts and bruises littering the other boy’s (otherwise flawless) skin. His mind casting back to the last time he’d seen such injuries, and the redhead they’d belonged to, the redhead who’d tried to laugh them off and told Jonathan it was nothing. And now he was gone.

He’d seen red.

A black mist fell over his eyes and, in that second, all he wanted to do was make that scumbag suffer. It’d been fairly easy actually. One swift motion had the man flailing around, screaming and trying to bat the invisible spiders away from his face.

He hadn’t meant to scare Peter. He wasn’t a bad person.He’d just … got carried away.

Jonathan told Peter this, fully expecting to be shunned. For the other boy to tell him that he was a monster and that he’d never want to be friends with someone like this.

What he hadn’t been prepared for was Peter gently grasping his hand (careful not to surprise the anxious boy) and assure him that it was okay, he understood.

“R-really?” 

“Yeah. Jonathan you were just trying to protect me. No one got hurt, right? He just got a bit scared.”

Jonathan nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. His newfound friend didn’t hate him. That was good, right?

Peter smiled when he saw Jonathan visibly relax. He hope that, over time, Jonathan would become more confident and not immediately assume that others would hate him.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Jonathan remembered that he’d told his family he’d be back soon. After everything they’d been through already, the boy knew they’d be worried out of their minds if he was late.

As if reading his mind, Peter got to his feet (a little wobbly but otherwise completely healed) and hoisted Jonathan up with him. “Come on,” he smiled softly “let’s head back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, terrible update (let's be real, every update I post is a terrible update but it makes me happy) just so you peeps don't think I've forgotten about this fic. Just been hella stressed and busy the past few weeks/months.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy :)


	8. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't my best work but I wanted to get this chapter out so I could finally move the story out of Gotham and back to the Avengers compound. The rest of the Avengers will be in the next chapter (finally).   
> Sorry in advance for errors and the crappy writing (I wrote this on three hours of sleep). 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy :)

Loki couldn’t help the feeling of worry as he and his brother headed back to the GCPD. He knew than Jonathan could handle himself, the boy knew this city like the back of his hand and he was only five minutes away. But still, the feeling of worry persisted. Though after all they’d gone through, the feeling was somewhat justified. 

Thor was quick to pick up on the worried look on his brother’s face, feeling a pang of sympathy. It was going to take a while for Loki to be fully comfortable when Jonathan was out of his sight, past experiences had done nothing to ease the tricksters worries about leaving his child unattended. “He will be fine, brother. Do not fret.” Thor shifted the bags and pizza boxes he was holding to place a firm, comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder. Loki snapped out of his concerned daze and smiled softly at Thor, trying desperately to push his concerns to the back of his mind. “I know brother. My mind will be at ease once he comes back.” Thor nodded. “He will come back, Loki.” He added, in an attempt to calm his sibling. 

********

Loki allowed himself to relax slightly once they got back to the group. The others were happy to see the demi gods returning with some well earned snacks, they hadn’t realised just how hungry they’d been. The space was filled with soft chatter and some laughter as the group talked amongst themselves, the calm environment (or as calm as it could get in a police station in Gotham) was doing wonders for Loki’s nerves. 

“That’s a good kid you got there, Loki.” Steve smiled. “Really polite, clever too.” Loki returned the soldiers' smile. “Thank you, Captain Rogers.” 

“Hey, reindeer games, do you think the kid’ll want to go to school? We could arrange for him to go with Peter. Then that way he’d have someone he knows with him.”

“Jonathan was always taught by myself, Thor or our mother. He has no prior experience in a school environment. I believe it would be best to let him decide once he is settled.”

Tony nodded in understanding. “Fair enough. There’s no pressure if he doesn’t want to. But if he decides it’s something he wants then he’ll have our full support. He’s a bright kid, he’s definitely gonna go places.”

Loki couldn’t help but smile, he was bursting with pride. His child was smart, he was going to have a bright future. All of this was just a minor setback that they could work through together. “Thank you, Stark. Really, for everything.” The engineer waved a hand in mock modesty, earning a chuckle from the trickster. 

“Speak of the devil.” Steve said, glancing at the door, at the two boys walking in. Loki sighed, relief flooding him. Tony also felt himself relax a little, the anxious little voice in his head telling him something was wrong had finally shut up. Thank God.

********

Peter did a quick little last minute check of his clothes, ensuring that Jonathan had gotten rid of all the blood stains, before shooting the adults a grin and running over to them (thank god for magic and rapid healing). Jonathan also worked up the courage to give everyone a soft smile, still feeling slight shock when the adults returned the gesture (he’d forgotten that people could be friendly). 

Both teens took a seat beside their respective parental figures and shared a glance. They’d both decided (at Peter’s insistence) that the incident be kept to themselves. The incident was behind them now and they both escaped unharmed, so there was no real point in getting the adults worked up. 

The rest of the day went by quite uneventfully. The group chatted about anything and everything, content in each other's company. They spoke of their adventures, home life, school (in Peter’s case) and pretty much anything else they could think of. Jonathan allowed himself to relax into his parents embrace, zoning out as he felt the familiar feeling of Loki’s fingers running through his hair. The action was comforting and familiar, it did wonders to put the young demigod’s mind at ease.

“-ou think Jonathan?” 

The boy was snapped back into reality at the sound of Steve’s voice.

“Hmm?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“We’re gonna get ready to leave at six. Will that give you enough time to get your things and say goodbye to your friends?” Steve explained gently.

“Umm, y-yeah. I g-g-go get my stuff from th- Wait, ‘goodbye’ ? I-I’m not gonna s-see them again?” Jonathan’s voice trembled as it hit him that he was leaving Gotham. Leaving his home. His friends. What if something happened to Kat and he wasn’t there to…

“Sweetheart, breathe.” His pabbi’s voice broke through his frantic thoughts. He suddenly became aware of the arms wrapped around him, holding him in a tight embrace. Jonathan glazed over to his pabbi and felt himself relax a little as he turned his attention back to Steve.

“We’re not taking you away from your friends forever kiddo.” Tony spoke gently, the soft tone seeming extremely out of character to everyone (besides Peter). “You’re gonna be staying with us but you can visit here anytime you want. Anytime you want to visit just let us know and we’ll sort it out, okay?” Jonathan nodded, his heart rate slowly going back to normal. “I’m gonna give your friend a phone as well, so you two can keep in contact at all times. That is, unless she tries to pawn it for cigars or whatever the kids in this town smoke.” Tony smirked, earning a chuckle from the boy.

“Cigars? Really?” 

Tony jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of the voice behind him. Glaring at the girl, who simply smirked in response.

“Well what else was I supposed to say. I don’t know what the street youth are into.”

“Uh, food?”

“Hmm?”   


“If I was gonna sell something, it’d be to buy food.”

Tony shot her a worried look, concerned for where the phone would end up.

“Kidding.” Kat smiled, climbing over the desk to sit beside her friend. “Besides, I can just steal anything I need.” By now, Steve was having a difficult time determining whether the youngster was joking or not. Though based on what he’d seen in this city, he was leaning more toward her being serious.

Tony let out a chuckle as he produced an extremely advanced looking cell phone from his pocket and handed it to the girl. He (only partially joking) reminded her to keep it on her at all times. Both so she could contact Jonathan but also so Tony knew she was okay. The girl had an attitude and aura of sarcasm that the engineer appreciated. 

********

The entire rest off the day went without incident. The group travelled to Jonathan’s old abandoned home to collect whatever personal belongings he had left. 

Loki couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he noticed the toy dragon he’d painstakingly carved for his baby when he was only a year or two old. It was a bit weathered but the intricate designs of the wood were still visible. The scales had been a nightmare to carve. He also took note of the teddy bear on the makeshift bed. It’s blue fur matted and fraying, missing an ear and part of it’s stitched smile. Karen had made it for Jonathan when Loki had first mentioned letting the child live with her. It had been made with so much love and, clearly, it meant a great deal to the child.

There wasn’t all that much to take. A few spare sets of clothes, the dragon and teddy bear, some comics and a book of old folkstories that Frigga had given to him. The front cover had been adorned with gold leafs and a few diamonds. Honestly, Loki was surprised that the book had not been stripped off its gold, just so some corrupt authority figure could make a quick fortune.

Once everything was packed, the group headed back to the GCPD, towards the jet that would take them away from this corrupt city. 

Stephen busied himself with getting everyone on the jet and thanking detectives Gordon and Bullock for their help. This allowed for Kat and Jonathan to take their time as they prepared to be separated again. No one liked being rushed to say goodbye.

They tooka good 15 minutes talking and reassuring each other that everything would be okay. Kat promised Jonathan that she’d stay safe, that she wouldn’t be lonely (she had Bruce and Ivy after all) and reassured him that she’d take care of both Ivy and Bridget’s pigeons. In return, Jonathan promised he’d call her everyday and take care of himself. They gave each other one last hug before Jonathan headed toward the plane. He took a seat beside his pabbi and let himself relax into his seat. He kept his gaze focused out the window, taking one last look at his home as the jet took off. 

******** 

Kat watched from a nearby rooftop as the jet disappeared into the distance and finally let the tears fall, the tears she’d been holding back all day. 

He was gone. 

She knew she should be happy that Jonathan was with his family now and she was, but it hurt to see him leave. Was that selfish?

“You okay?”

Bruce was getting better at this sneaking thing. Kat just shook her head, letting him put her arms around her and pull her into a comforting hug.

“Do you think he’ll forget about me?” she croaked out.

Bruce had sensed this was coming. After Kat’s mom abandoned her, he couldn’t blame her for thinking everyone would forget about her, that she wasn’t wanted. And this broke his heart.

“Of course not,” he smiled. “You have each other’s phone numbers right? You’ll be in contact everyday, it’ll be like nothing has changed. Besides, who could forget you?”

Kat chuckled and relaxed into Bruce’s embrace. He was right, they’d make this work. They were best friends, right? Nothing was gonna come in the way of that.


	9. Return - Part 1

**** Avengers Compound ****

“Yeah... Yeah, I’ll tell them... Okay, see you soon Tones.”

Rhodey sighed, hanging up his phone. Things were moving a bit faster than they’d originally intended, with the group thinking the mission to Gotham would last at least a few days what with the kid being pretty terrified of people (and an expert at evading them). But no, now Rhodey was the one who’d been tasked with the  _ delightful  _ duty of informing his friends that they now had three hours to clear out the spare bedroom, build the furniture (because Tony couldn’t possibly order anything pre built, that’d be too easy) and make it look somewhat presentable. Thanks Tony.

He rubbed his eyes and headed towards the common area. This was gonna be fun.

********

“He said THREE days.”

“At least!”

“How the hell are we gonna get this set up?”

“Can’t they just stay there for a few days till we set up?”

Rhodey sighed as he was bombarded with questions and complaints faster than he could properly process them. His teammates' frustration was sort of warranted. They’d all been fully intending to spend all day tomorrow setting up the kid’s room and making sure everything was perfect for him, they had thought they had a few days after all. 

“Look, guys, I know this isn’t ideal but the kid’s gonna be here in a few hours. Wouldn’t it be better for him to have a bedroom to sleep in tonight?” Rhodey smirked to himself as his teammates muttered words of reluctant agreement. “Now, we’ll get the furniture built first, okay? Then we can start moving all the crap Tony ordered into the room.”

The group collectively sighed and stood, heading towards the spare bedroom. “Oh, and we need to leave a space in the corner of the room!” Rhodey called out. 

“Why?” Sam asked, poking his head back through the door. The other man could only shrug in response. “Something about one of the gifts. He said it should be delivered before they get back.”

********

“No, Bucky! It’s the other way round.”    


“It’s not. We have to put it this way so it sits straight!”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am not!”

“Are to!” “Am no-”

“Will you two shut up!” Nat snapped, glaring at Clint and Bucky and causing both men the shrink back. The pair were currently sat cross legged on the floor, attempting to build a king sized bed, whilst Nat and Sam focused on building the wardrobe. “Clint, I love you, but Bucky’s right. If you do it your way, the legs aren’t going to fit properly.” The super soldier smirked upon hearing he was right, sticking his tongue out at Clint (earning him a slap on the back of the head from Nat). “Grow up. Honestly, you’re more childish than Peter.”

“But Peter _ is  _ a child.” Bucky pouted.

“Exactly.”

Clint and Sam shared a look and giggled slightly, earning an eye roll from the super soldier.

They went quiet for a while as everyone turned their attention back to the work at hand. Nat and Sam managed to build the wardrobe, two sets of drawers and a desk before Clint and Bucky were even halfway done with the bed. 

“It’s Tony’s fault.” Clint whined as he and Bucky were banished from the room and told to start bringing in the boxes of (what they assumed to be) gifts from the storage unit. “Yeah,” Bucky pouted, “He’s a billionaire, he could’ve bought the furniture already built. He’s trying to make us suffer.”

Nat nodded and rolled her eyes (though they did sort of have a point) as she pushed them out of the room. “Just go get the stuff. There’s one box, Rhodes said, that’s gift wrapped. You’ve to put that in Loki’s bedroom. He wants to give it to the kid himself.”   


The heroes nodded and headed off towards the storage room, quietly blaming each other for the bed building issue.

********

After three long hours, the bedroom was finally finished. The furniture had been built and neatly arranged and the various gifts Tony had ordered had been arranged on the bed (the kid could arrange them where he wanted when he got there). They had also left a sizeable space in the corner of the room, as per Tony’s request.

“You think the kid’s gonna like it?” Sam asked, scanning the room for anything that might be out of place.

“Of course he will.” Rhodey smiled. His frustration at Tony’s time limit had mostly faded and had instead been replaced with a feeling of almost childlike excitement. He couldn’t wait to meet the kid.

Bruce, who’d conveniently had a meeting while all this had been going one, had finally decided to show up and have a look at his friend’s hard work. “I’m guessing he’s a bit of a horror fan then?” He asked, admiring an extremely well crafted Chucky doll replica. Nat shrugged. “I guess so,” she smirked, “it’ll be good to have someone I can watch scary movies with. You losers are afraid of your own shadows.” Her statement was followed by protests (though let’s face it, they knew she had a point, horror movies were  _ scary _ ).

“What’s going in that corner?” Clint asked.

As if on cue, Happy stumbled into the room, flailing his arms like a madman. “Tony just called, they’ll be landing in ten minutes. The last gift just got here. Any chance you lot could give us a hand? We need it in the room before he gets here.”

Sam, Bucky and Clint were quick to volunteer, rushing off to help. 

The heroes could barely contain their amazement as they stared at the gift. It was incredible! Tony had really outdone himself this time. 

“Wow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a longer chapter but my laptop's going in for repairs tomorrow and I wanted a chapter out this week, so I split this chapter into two parts. The next chapter will be up when I get my laptop back.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy :)


	10. Return - Part 2

The ride back to the compound was practically silent. It had been a very eventful day and everyone (even Tony) was absolutely exhausted. Peter had curled up at Tony’s side to watch the Terminator with him but had barely made it past the opening credits before passing out. Jonathan had done the same with Loki, sleeping peacefully whilst curled up at his parents side and clutching his uncle Thor’s hand.

It was a peaceful journey. A nice change for the group who had grown accustomed to using this jet whenever they were headed into a violent battleground. It had been a good few years since they’d been able to fly out somewhere without the constant anxiety of losing their life, without worrying that this would be the last time they’d ever see their friends alive. It was a small but welcome relief for everyone aboard.

After a few hours the jet finally landed back at the compound, the motion jerking both Jonathan and Peter out of their slumber. “Hey there, sleeping beauty.” Tony chuckled, ruffling his kids hair when the boy whined and tried to go back to sleep. It took a fair amount of coaxing for the boy to get to his feet but they got there eventually, though Tony kept an arm around his kid just in case he decided to return to his nap whilst walking. Thor didn’t even bother trying to get his nephew to wake up, instead opting (with Loki’s help) to just give the boy a piggyback ride. Steve smiled and shook his head at the family as he walked to Peter’s other side as a precaution. Once everyone was sorted, they headed towards the entrance. 

Peter had begun to wake up a little more as they headed towards the door. He felt himself breathe a sigh of relief when he registered where they were, it felt good to be back home. The kid felt himself grin when arms were wrapped around him and he was pulled into a hug. “Hi, honey.” Pepper smiled. “Did you have fun?” Peter returned the hug and nodded. “It was great, Miss Potts. We found the best ice cream store ever!” Pepper raised her eyebrows at ‘Miss Potts’ but didn’t push the subject. She chuckled and placed a kiss on the boy’s forehead before turning to scan the rest of the group. Her eyes settled on the child on Thor’s back. He looked like such a peaceful little thing.

“He’s so precious.” She cooed (feeling slightly old that she was cooing over a teenager but whatever). “Isn’t he just.” Loki grinned, allowing himself to be pulled into a hug. “Well done.” she whispered, giving the (blushing) demigod a peck on the cheek and turning back to the rest of the group. “Right, well, everyone is waiting for you guys. Do you want to introduce Jonathan to the others first or leave him be for a little while?” Pepper asked, mainly directing the question to Loki and Thor. The brothers shared a look before shrugging. It was entirely Jonathan’s decision to make.

It took a few minutes of coaxing to wake the teen up, though when he finally awoke, the group was pleasantly surprised to see that he was (unexpectedly) calm. Jonathan had known his family was with him before he’d even opened his eyes. It was a pretty surreal but brilliant feeling. 

“Jonathan?” The boy turned exhausted eyes to face his parent. “We’re here now. There are some others, good people, not unlike the people you’ve already met. They are very excited to welcome you here. Do you wish to meet them now?” Jonathan’s eyes filled with slight panic and he felt his eyes darting around, trying to spot any unfamiliar faces (he was clearly not a people person). “Look at me, litli minn.” The boy complied, despite his panic, meeting his pabbi’s eyes. “No one will force you to participate in anything that makes you uncomfortable. You do not have to engage these people in conversation if it makes you anxious, they will understand. They will also understand if you do not wish to meet them at all right now. The choice is entirely yours sweetheart.” Loki ran a comforting hand through his child’s hair whilst Thor patted the boy’s hand.

After a moment of consideration, Jonathan decided to face this head on. He wasn’t going to get anywhere if he let himself be ruled by his fear. Besides, pabbi said he didn’t have to speak, just a quick introduction and then he could relax in solitude for a little while.  **_Look who’s finally making some progress_ ** , the familiar voice in his head chuckled (though it lacked any malice).  **_Knock ‘em dead, kid._ ** Jonathan suppressed a quiet chuckle at that.  _ Thanks  _ _ fuglahríð.  _

_ ******** _

“Clint, will you give it a rest.” Sam snapped. The archer has been  incessantly tapping his foot since they’d gathered in the common area. It was making the whole sofa shake and doing absolutely nothing for everyone else’s nerves. Not that they were scared to meet Loki’s kid but, well, introducing new members to the family was always a little nerve wrecking. Clint sighed and threw his legs over the arm of the sofa instead, pouting at Sam. “I can’t help being a little nervous.”

Nat rolled her eyes and turned back to her book. Seemingly the only person in the room who had a calm and collected attitude about this whole thing (because of course she is). “Do you think he’s going to like it here?” Bruce asked, unconsciously chewing his nails. Nat sighed and patted his arm. “He’s going to love it here, silly.” 

Before Bruce could open his mouth to answer, they were interrupted by a familiar voice. “Hello my not-so-secret boy/girl band. We’re baaaack.” Tony smiled at himself, proud of the sheer amount of eyerolls he’d managed to elicit. 

Jonathan scanned the room as it’s occupants turned around to face them. He stood between his uncle and his parent, clutching the God of Mischief’s hand tightly. They all seemed nice enough, but the boy knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. He shuddered as images of smiling doctors and nurses danced around in his head.

Bruce was the first to speak, grinning and making his way over to his friend. “Hey, Tony. Good trip?”

“Oh yeah, great. Been a while since I’ve visited such a shithole.”

Steve sighed and placed his hands over Peter’s ears (looking at Thor to do the same with Jonathan, making both teens chuckle). “Tony!” he hissed. “Language, please. There are children present!” The billionaire just made a face at the super soldier and turned back to Bruce. “That bad?” Bruce asked, receiving a nod in return.

“Now,” Tony clapped his hands and took a step forward to address the entire room. “I’m not gonna dance around the subject. You lot all know why we went to discount Chicago. And I’m pretty sure you can all see that we were successful.” He waved a hand in Jonathan’s direction. “This is Jonathan. He’s Loki’s son. He may not want to speak to any of you but don’t take offence, it’s just because he’s anxious, not because he doesn’t like you all. Everyone say ‘hi Jonathan’.” The rest of the team sighed at Tony’s little speech, but nonetheless gave the anxious boy a smile and wave, some of them offering a ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’. Jonathan shrunk back a bit further but gave the group a nervous wave in response. 

They went around the group of strangers, each taking a moment to introduce themselves to the young demigod and tell him a little bit about themselves. Jonathan found himself being particularly interested in Dr Banner. He had another person living in his head as well, though this one could completely manifest in the physical world unlike Fuglahræða. 

When it had come to Jonathan’s turn to introduce himself, he was too anxiety ridden to say anything, instead letting Loki take over. Once everyone was acquainted, the not Gotham team and Tony (feeling giddy) suggested Jonathan take a look at his new bedroom. The boy kept a tight grip on his parents hand as they followed the group down several hallways until they reached the bedroom door. Tony was grinning like a child on Christmas Eve as he gently patted the boy on the shoulder and gestured for him to go ahead and open it. Jonathan took a breath, turned the handle and stood there in shock for a few seconds.

The room was absolutely stunning. It has a gorgeous bay window, complete with a space for him to sit and read or just watch the stars. The walls were a glossy white (Tony mentioned that they’d bought paint in every colour under the sun so he could decorate his bedroom however he wished). The boy was shocked by the sheer size of the room. It held a queen size bed, a desk, dressing table, wardrobe, two sets of drawers and a massive built in bookcase and there was still enough room to do goddamn cartwheels if he wanted. 

Then he saw it.

In the corner of the room stood a beautiful grand piano. It was black and, upon closer inspection, it had been engraved with stunning depictions of the mythological creatures he’d grown up reading about/interacting with. Unicorns, dragons, centaurs, Medusa, banshees, kelpies; they were all there, intricately designed. It was absolutely stunning. The child took a good few moments to just admire the musical instrument and the design.

Once the initial shock had worn off, Jonathan allowed himself to take a proper look around his bedroom, taking note of the piles of books stacked on the dressing table, the massive amount of art supplies on the desk and an exceptional amount of horror movie memorabilia laid out on the bed. They’d gone to all this trouble, for him? People rarely paid much attention to the boy so it was a shock to the system to find out that these adults had gone to all this trouble just for him. To make him feel welcome. It was … different, but definitely not an unpleasant experience.

“There's some classic horror movie t-shirts on the bed, they might be a little big but they should be okay. We’ll take you shopping for some proper clothes tomorrow, okay kiddo?” Tony chuckled at the look of amazement of the teen’s face, wondering just how long it had been since someone tried to bond with the kid and buy him something he liked. Jonathan quietly nodded in response, wanting to speak, to thank the billionaire (and the rest of the team) for everything they’d done for him but still a little too anxious to do so. He looked to his parent with pleading eyes and Loki just chuckled softly, petting his hand.

“Jonathan would like to thank each and everyone for the effort you have all put into making him feel welcomed into the team. He is thankful that he has been brought to such a caring group of people. These gifts are truly appreciated.”

The demigod turned to Jonathan. “Good?” The boy nodded.  _ Good. _

“Okay bud, we’ll leave you alone and let you get settled alright?” Steve smiled as he ushered everyone else out of the room, not really expecting much of a response. So, needless to say, it came as a bit of a shock when the boy reached out a hand to the super soldier. Steve recovered fairly quickly and carefully took the boys hand in his, unconsciously making sure his handshake was not too firm. The boy seemed so fragile, after all, and Steve was terrified that he may break him.

When the boy turned away, diverting his attention to the view from his bedroom window, Steve gave Loki a nod and left the room, allowing the parent and child to have some time together. 

Once the other man had left, Loki turned to his child, feeling a wave of contentment wash over him as he watched his child stare wide eyed at the view. 

“‘Tis a beautiful sight, is it not?” Loki wrapped an arm around the teen’s shoulder.

“It’s so … clean. You can see the sky, probably the stars at night. You can’t see the sky in Gotham, unless you’re on the outskirts of the city.” Jonathan spoke softly, eyes fixated on the bright blue sky, littered with a few clouds. He hadn’t seen a sky like that in forever. Hadn’t been able to appreciate the simple beauty because of all the rot and pollution and filth that filled Gotham’s skyline. Loki hummed in acknowledgement, taking a seat by the window. “Stark says he will arrange a spot for you on the rooftop. So you may view the stars in relative solitude, if that is something you may desire.”

Now it was Jonathan’s turn to hum. He appreciated the gesture but it felt wrong to have someone who barely knew him go to all this trouble to make him feel at home. “Would you like me to help you unpack your gifts? I would love to learn more about your midguardian interests, litli minn.”

Jonathan smiled at his pabbi’s enthusiasm but shook his head lightly. “Maybe later.” He said, laying down beside his parent, resting his head on the trickster’s lap. “I’m really tired right now pabbi, can we just stay like this for a little while?” Loki smiled, running a hand through the boy’s hair for what felt like the millionth time since they;d been reunited. “Of course, sweetheart. You sleep for as long as you need. I will have the disembodied voice inform the others if we cannot attend dinner.” 

They stayed there for around two hours. From what Strange had told him(and what the demigod had sensed when he saw his child) Jonathan had been severely struggling with sleep, placing the boy in a constant state of exhaustion. Loki had been prepared for the fact that the boy would most likely just sleep for the first few days, this whole experience had taken a toll on him and he required some much needed rest. The trickster had not been prepared, however, for just how much of a toll this situation had taken on him. As a result, Loki found himself dozing off, cradling his child and feeling more content than he had in over a decade.

Things really could get better, couldn’t they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally uploaded this. It's been a while, hasn't it?
> 
> I'm going to stop promising deadlines because then I just stress myself out and struggle to write. I have made a promise to myself though that I am not starting anymore stories until all of my current ones are finished. That can be my new years resolution haha. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Not a whole lot happened but I've been in the mood to write some fluffy (ish) stuff.


	11. Morning Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan has his morning coffee with Tony and Steve.

Tony awoke fairly early in the morning, though it seemed to take his brain a while to register just what exactly had woken him. It hadn’t been a night terror, he’d have definitely known if it was. The kitchen area where he’d apparently nodded off was empty so it wasn’t someone in the room that had woken him. He scanned around the room for a few moments, in a daze, until he heard it. A piano. Someone was playing a soft, melancholic tune on a piano, that’s what had woken him. It took another couple of moments until the engineer clicked onto just who exactly was playing said tune.

Jonathan.

Of course! He’d bought the kid a piano, right? Tony chuckled as he stood to get himself a cup of coffee. He’d definitely had worse wake up calls. The engineer grabbed his coffee and began making his way towards the source of the music, surprised to see Steve already there, peeking into the room and beaming with pride. If Tony didn’t know any better, he’d be convinced that the teen was Steve’s kid. “Hey Capsicle.” He greeted, standing beside the super soldier. Getting a peek into the room, Tony caught sight of the boy hunched over his piano, long hair obscuring his face, all of his focus completely on his music. He was fully dressed, apparently not having slept at all that night. Every now and then, spirals of blue light would appear, dancing around the room before vanishing into thin air.  _ This must be the kids magic _ , Tony though. Jonathan probably wasn’t even aware of it. 

“He’s great, ain’t he?” Steve smiled, entranced by the music. Tony nodded. “Real talented kid.” he agreed. The pair stood there for a good half hour as the boy played song after song (most of which the men were unfamiliar with). All were soft, melancholic tunes. All were absolutely beautiful. And all were played with incredible skill, the teen showed talent that would be on par with the great musical geniuses throughout history. It was incredible for the two to see the anxious boy look so content, even confident.

Once the boy seemed to have tired of playing, he stood up, grabbing an oversized black hoodie from his bed, and started walking towards the door. Tony and Steve swiftly moved away from the door, rushing back to the kitchen as quietly as they could. 

Jonathan entered the kitchen not too long after. Heading straight over to the coffee maker and pouring himself a cup of black coffee. Tony felt a bit of pride as the kid got his coffee and managed to suppress his giggles at Steve’s disapproving look. The boy took a seat at the table and nodded politely at the two men. “I’m sorry if i woke you.” he spoke softly. Tony shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine kiddo. You’re really good.”

“Yeah we were awake anyway.”

Jonathan nodded, visibly relaxing when he realised the men weren’t mad at him. “You like your room?” Tony asked. 

“It’s perfect.” Jonathan replied, a soft smile on his lips. “You really didn’t have to waste your money on me though.”

“Kid. I’m a billionaire, if I want to ‘waste’ my money on awesome gifts for you then I can.” Steve grinned. Tony had said for years that he never wanted to be a dad. Yet here he was. With Peter and now Jonathan. He’d taken to the dad role like a duck to water. 

Jonathan chuckled into his coffee mug. 

“What’s so funny?” Tony asked, glad to see the kid smiling. 

“You sound like Bruce.” Jonathan smiled. “He used to stack the closets downstairs with clothes and food for Kat and I. So we didn’t get cold or hungry.” 

Okay. That was kind of adorable, Tony had to admit. 

“So, bud, any plans for today?” Steve asked, pushing a plate of cookies towards Jonathan which the kid gladly accepted. He took a bit of one of the cookies, thinking for a moment before answering. “Mamma said we could go out and explore the city today. There’s a library near here that sounds pretty cool.” 

Tony nodded along whilst Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Mamma? Loki ?” he asked, Jonathan just gave him a small smile and nodded his head. “Yeah. She’s feeling more like mamma today.” the boy clarified, standing up and stealing a couple more cookies (stashing food was a habit he might never grow out of) and headed towards the door.“She’s waking up now. Thank you for the cookies Mr Rogers, Mr Stark.” he nodded at each man respectively before heading out.

Tony and Steve shared a look before the billionaire clicked on to what the boy had just said. “And it’s Tony. None of that Mr Stark shi- stuff.” He called out, rolling his eyes at Steve. “We have another Peter there.” The super soldier chuckled. Tony simply shook his head and snatched a cookie off the plate. “That’s the most I’ve heard the kid say at once.” Tony stated. 

“He’ll fit in well here.” Steve grinned. He was right, the boy was a fine addition to their strange little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usual note for spelling errors.
> 
> Hope y'all had a good Christmas! :)


	12. Seaside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki dreams about Jonathan's first trip to midgard as a child.

_ “Mamma!” The little boy squealed, running towards the trickster. She turned to him, smiling, and scooped him up into her arms. “Wook what me found!” He yelled excitedly, holding out his hand for his parent to see. In his tiny hand he held a small shell. It appeared to have belonged to some sort of midguardian sea creature but Loki couldn’t pinpoint exactly which one. She grinned, placing a kiss on the child’s forehead. “It is beautiful,  _ _ krúttið mitt. Would you like to collect more? We could take them home with us if you would like.” The child nodded his head frantically, wriggling to get back on the ground. As soon as his little feet touched the floor, the child grabbed hold of Loki’s hand and began leading her around the beach in search of shells.  _

_ After a good hour of collecting shells, the pair sat down for a rest and some fruit that the goddess had packed. Thor joined them shortly after, hair still wet from his swim in the ocean. He took a seat beside his sister, grabbing the child and throwing him up into the air. The little boy squealed as he flew through the air, landing safely in his uncle’s arms. “My go so high.” he giggled. Loki chuckled at the sight, plating up some fruit and cheese for her brother, which he gladly accepted once the boy was back on the ground. “I am sorry to have doubted you, sister.” Thor spoke, gazing out at the sea. “Midguardian beaches are truly beautiful. ‘Tis a marvellous place to bring young Fenrir.” He ruffled the child’s hair and returned his sister’s smile. Loki didn’t reply, she didn’t need to, they just ate their meal in a comfortable silence, only stopping to answer the curious little boy’s questions about midgard and it’s creatures.  _

_ ****** _

_ Once lunch was over, Thor offered to teach the child how to swim. Partly to allow Loki to have some time alone to read and partly because the excitable child had been begging his uncle to teach him at any chance he got.  _

_ Loki was quite happy to sit on the sand and read. Occasionally she’d get distracted as she watched her brother teach the child how to swim. He held the boy up, reassuring him that he would not allow him to go under the water, and the child kicked his legs frantically, giggling when the water splashed Thor. Every now and then they’d take a break from their swimming lesson, Thor would swim instead, allowing the child to clamber onto his back. It was an adorable sight and Loki could not hide her smile. She was truly blessed to have such an amazing family. She wished she could stay in this moment forever.  _

********

Loki awoke to someone shaking her gently. “Mamma?” the familiar voice whispered, shaking her again. “Mamma, breakfast is almost ready.” 

The trickster smiled and turned to face Jonathan, brushing a loose strand of hair out of his face. “Okay sweetheart. I will get dressed and join you in the kitchen area.” She sat up, taking a few seconds to wake up properly. “Would you still like to take a walk today? We can visit the midgardian library if you’d like.” Loki couldn’t contain har grin as the boy’s eyes lit up and he nodded frantically before composing himself. It was good to see that her child was still as excitable as she remembered, even if now he’d grown better at suppressing it. Jonathan gave her a quick hug before leaving the room.

Loki’s grin widened. She hadn't felt happiness like this in so long. Things were really looking up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little chapter for now. Hope y'all enjoy :)


	13. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Jonathan watch the stars and bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I skipped over Loki and Jonathan's day out to the library as it was sort of uneventful. They had a nice day out, bought some books and a little dinosaur figure from the museum, got lunch and went home. I will have more fluffy chapter with these two later on.
> 
> Also quick little tw for night terrors.

The stars were beautiful tonight. Somehow, despite all the light pollution from the city, the stars appeared so much clearer. Perhaps it was thanks to the lack of air pollution. God knows Gotham had a massive problem with that, a black veil of smoke always obscured the night sky, much to the dismay of any avid stargazers. Or maybe it was because he occupied a spot on the roof of the tower, easily twice as tall as Gotham’s tallest building. The view from here was absolutely breathtaking. It was instantly marked as one of his favourite places to be. 

Jonathan hadn’t been able to stop grinning since he and his parent got back from their trip. They’d gone to the library, the museum, the park as well as a cute little cafe for lunch. This city was just so … different from Gotham. They’d been out all day and not once had the boy seen any pick pocketing, muggings, gang violence or drug dealers. Everybody actually looked happy to live here, a far cry from the sorrowful faces of the gothamites, who had been forced to live in that hellhole due to extreme poverty or (in the upper class’ situation) greed and corruption. The teen kept a firm grip of his mamma’s sleeve at first, still not fully trusting how perfect this city seemed, but found himself loosening up a little the longer they were out, he actually enjoyed being out in public for the first time in years. Though to be quite honest he would still rather be at home with a book, people could be a bit much sometimes.

The boy replayed their outing over and over again in his head, savouring it. That was, until his thoughts were interrupted by someone else’s. He’d heard of people describing animals as being able to sense fear and he often related to that. He’d often catch sight of someone’s scared thoughts in quick flashes and feel their terror, often if the person was suffering from a nightmare. And this person definitely was.

He felt everything. Saw the blood, the body, the man running away from the scene of the crime. He could almost feel the man’s body in his arms as he desperately tried to wake him, could hear the screams and the sirens and could smell the metallic scent of blood. Then, as quickly as the visions started, they stopped. Despite how used to this the boy was, he still let out a sigh of relief when it was over. No one wants to experience that, after all. 

He suspected that the person had been jolted awake from their ordeal. Perhaps they managed to get back to sleep or decided it wasn’t worth it and got up for a drink. The one thing he didn’t expect was to sense the nightmare sufferers presence behind him.

“Oh! Uh, hey, Jona-athan. W-what’re you doing up here?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Right, me too. Whatcha doing?”

“Watching the stars. They’re stunning tonight.”

“Cool!”

Peter took a step forward to join his friend before second guessing himself and stepping back. Jonathan could vaguely register his anxiety, sort of like white noise. He nodded at Peter then at the empty space beside him. “Want to sit?”

Peter eagerly nodded his head and plopped himself down beside Jonathan, gazing up at the stars. The long haired boy smiled softly, taking a sip of his coffee before offering the cup to Peter. He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. “N-no, I’m alright.” Jonathan didn’t need to be a mind reader to know his friend’s opinion on the drink. 

Smiling, he pushed the cup into Peter’s hands, pausing for a brief moment as a blue light engulfed the cup. Once it was over, the bitter coffee had been replaced with hot chocolate, complete with cream and marshmallows. Peter stared for a moment, eyes wide and mouth hanging open but eventually managed to compose himself, thanking Jonathan for the drink. He let out a sigh of contentment as the warm drink worked it’s magic, warming him up and easing the leftover nerves from his nightmare. That had been the worst one yet. He’d normally feel some sort of relief when he awoke, but this time … he didn’t know how to explain it. He’d felt a wave of grief wash over him when he’d woken up. Felt like uncle Ben was watching him, judging him, hating him for what he did …

No. This was not going to happen again. It was an accident. He was not to blame. Uncle Ben wouldn’t hate him … right? No one else did. He’d lost count of the amount of times he’d been reminded of the fact that he wasn’t to blame. 

Peter shook his head, forcing all thoughts of that night to the back of his mind, turning his attention to Jonathan in an attempt to distract himself. He cleared his throat. “So, uh, you liking it here?” The boy nodded. “Better than Gotham?”

“I’m not sure better is the right word. It’s … different.”

“I read up on some stuff that happened in Gotham.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There was this guy that Mister Stark did business with a couple times, he was a billionaire too. And he ran for mayor, won, wanted to start making changes to the city for the better then this mob boss killed him. It was like something out of the Godfather.”

“Hmm.”

“But that’s not the weirdest thing, right. ‘Cause this dude got brought back, like complete Dawn of the Dead style and he forgot who he was and started killing people. It was like something from a weird 80s horror film. But then he got blown up, so I guess it’s a good thing that he can’t hurt anyone anymore but it’s sad, ya know. ‘Cause he didn’t know what he was doing. I think his name was-”

“Theo Galavan.” Jonathan spat, feeling the anger welling up inside him at the mere thought of the man’s name.

“You know him?”

“He wasn’t a nice person before he died. He deserved everything he got.” The boy looked off into the distance as he spoke, back to his usual soft, monotone voice. That honestly creeped Peter out more. He looked so calm as he spoke of a man deserving to die.

“W-what’d he d-do?”   
“He … took someone from me.”

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter. Oswald killed him because Galavan murdered his mother.”   
“Oswald as in…?”   
“Penguin. I’ll get Bruce to tell you everything else that happened if you want.”

“Um, yeah, s-sure. Sounds like an interesting case.”

“Mhmm.” There was a brief awkward pause. “It was like Re-Animator by the way.”

“What?”

“You said what happened with Galavan was like Dawn of the Dead. It was more like Re-Animator.”

“What? That awful Frankenstein wannabe?”

“Cult classic.”

“Please. Even Mister Stark wasn’t scared of it and he got scared watching Spongebob.”

Jonathan laughed, a full on genuine laugh, something that he’d found to be a pretty rare occurrence these days. 

The boys stayed up till the early hours of the morning, talking and laughing and just generally acting more like teenagers than they ever had. 

********

“Aw that is some bullshit right there man.” Clint sulked, sneaking up beside Tony and staring at the monitor, or more importantly, the two teens on it. Laughing and joking like everything was absolutely normal. “The kid doesn’t even want to be in the same room as me but Peter gets the best friend treatment. How is that fair?!?!”

Tony chuckled, switching the monitor off and heading to the kitchen to refill his coffee. “You’re gonna have to win him over, Legolas.”

Clint crossed his arms and pouted, following Tony to the kitchen. “He even talked to Steve before me. I’m supposed to be the cool uncle, not grandpa Steve!”

“Cap was with us when we picked him up, bud.”

The archer took a seat of the counter, pout still firmly in place. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just let me come with you.” He muttered, reluctantly accepting the glass of orange juice from the giggling Tony. Glaring daggers at him the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be uploaded last week but there's been some stuff going on. 
> 
> I may or may not bring a certain red head into this story in later works but I'm not sure yet if he's actually going to make a physical appearance. 
> 
> Usual note about spelling errors and stuff and ... yeah, hope you guys enjoy :)


	14. I hear you like reading?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip! (cause I'm a bit of a lazy biatch).
> 
> Jonathan talks with Bruce (Banner, not Wayne) and they bond (aww). 
> 
> Loki is adamant about cancelling a certain someone's visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a trigger warning towards the end of this chapter. References to the All-Father being an asshole to Jonathan when he was little. I'll let y'all know when it's coming up to that bit, just in case.

**Time Skip.**

A month. It had been  _ one whole month  _ since Jonathan had joined their little family and things were going absolutely great, even better than they’d expected.

The boy was still very quiet, only holding full conversations with a handful of people, and he spent a great deal of time in his bedroom but he was slowly making progress.

He was joining the team for more and more movie nights, found that making breakfast with Sam in the morning was quite calming (even if they did so in relative silence) and morning coffee with Tony and Steve had become routine. Not to mention, his friendship with Peter had been growing stronger everyday, it was doing wonders for both teens. Not that Peter didn’t love Ned and MJ, but it was nice to have a friend that knew the struggles of hiding your powers from the world and, well, just general superhero stuff. Ever since their chat on the roof, they’d started spending most of their time in the tower together. Whenever Peter was at school, Jonathan would wait by the window in the common area for him to come back. When Jonathan was out on a day trip with Loki or Thor, Peter would barely be able to focus on his homework, eyes darting to the elevator door every two seconds like an excited puppy. It was quite adorable, actually. 

Jonathan had taken to seeking Peter out whenever he sensed his friends' night terrors, sitting with him until the boy felt safe enough to return to sleep. They never spoke of the contents of the nightmares, nor did they discuss any of their trauma really, but both teens took refuge in the sense of comfort that the other provided. 

Today, Peter was at school. Jonathan was at his usual space by the window, drawing. He looked out the window every now and then, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend returning though he knew the boy wouldn’t be back anytime soon. It was only 1 o’clock after all. 

He sighed, turning back to his sketch. He’d settled on doing yet another drawing of  fuglahríð (his imaginary friend had been reluctant to leave his side since leaving Gotham). The figure was currently posing for the boy, making him giggle. He was so distracted by his friend and the task at hand that he didn’t notice Dr Banner until the man was standing beside him. The boy flinched at first (natural reflex) but soon relaxed.

“That’s a nice drawing…” Bruce started, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck (why did he do this again?). The boy gave an appreciative smile and a nod before turning back to his work, still not fully comfortable talking to the doctor. Perhaps it was just the fact that the man was called ‘Doctor’ Banner, bad memories and all that. “Who’s it of?” Bruce asked, settling for what seemed like the least invasive question he could think of. 

The boy froze for a second, debating whether or not he should tell the truth. After all, the scientist may find it childish (or insane) for a teenage boy to still have an imaginary friend. What if he thought he was mad? What if he thought  fuglahríða was a hallucination? What if-

**Jonathan. Look at me. Look at me, bud. There we go. He won’t think you’re insane.**

_ How do you know that? He could think I’m losing it. He could send me back to Arkham. _

**You’re overthinking this. We can trust him.**

_ Am I? Did you forget about Strange? We trusted him too, and look where that got us. He’s a doctor, he’s one of them. They never listen,  _ _ fuglahríða! _

**Stop. There we are, now calm down. No one is going to hurt you, bud. Aren’t you forgetting something?**

_ Forgetting what? _

**He has someone else living in his head. The big green person. Besides, with everything that goes on here? Be a bit hypocritical for him to judge us.**

_ Oh. _

**Exactly. Might do you some good to talk to someone about us.**

_ Ugh, fine. But if he thinks I’m mad then it’s your fault.  _

**Heh, that’s my boy.**

“Fuglahræða.” Jonathan answered quietly. Bruce thought for a few seconds, trying to translate the word in his head.

“Like, a scarecrow?” The boy nodded in response. “Wow. Where’d you see this guy, he looks kinda scary.” Bruce chuckled. He felt the colour drain from his face a little when the boy pointed to the empty space beside him. The man was out of his seat before he’d even realised it.

“He’s my imaginary friend.” Jonathan clarified, suppressing a giggle. The startled scientist’s face was priceless.

“Oh, oh! That’s cool.” Bruce slumped back down into his chair and let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, with all the shit he’d seen in the past few years he was so relieved to not have to fight some scarecrow-ghost-demon thing. 

Jonathan added the last few finishing touches to his drawing and turned to a blank page.

“Could… I draw you? Please.” He asked, preparing for the man to reject him and go back to whatever he’d been doing before. But it was worth a try after all. And it paid off, the boy was a little taken aback when the man nodded his head, getting comfortable in his seat. He grinned and started to draw, chuckling when  fuglahræða gave him a thumbs up.  **That wasn’t so bad now, was it?**

“So,” Bruce started. “I hear you like reading…”

********

“Thor I am telling you right now, this is not a good idea and I will not allow it!”

“Brother, calm down. I-” 

“Don’t you ‘brother, calm down’ me. I will not allow this. He wanted nothing to do with my child before. Why does he want to get involved now?!”

“He has changed, brother, I swear it. He merely wishes to make things right with young Fenrir. I believe it is best for him.”

“For Fenrir or  _ him _ ?” Loki hissed, storming into the reception. He was so caught up in his anger that he didn’t realise Stephen was standing in front of him until they were both on the ground. Stephen would have laughed at the situation any other time (or had an internal botch fit depending on who bumped into him) but seeing the trickster’s face was enough to tell him that now was not the time. Instead, he settled for offering a hand to the god and helped him to his feet. 

“Are you alright?”

Loki didn’t answer his question, instead trying to barge past the wizard before he broke down in front of everyone. Strange grabbed his arm and gave him a look that told him he wasn’t getting out of this easily. 

“I think we should have a talk, don’t you think?” He scanned the area. “Privately.” 

Loki reluctantly agreed and found himself being led to an empty office. 

“What’s wrong?” The god opened his mouth to deny any problems but was cut off by the wizard. “I know there’s something wrong, don’t try and lie your way out of it, Loki. I want to help you but you have to tell me what’s-”

“Theallfatherwantstoseejonathanandithinkitsaterribleidea!” Loki spluttered out, attempting to make a break for the door. Thor stood in front of the exit and the trickster felt the wizard’s hand on his arm. “Can you tell me again? Clearly this time.” Loki sighed at this but complied anyway (he was not in the mood for one of the doctor’s lectures). 

“The All-Father wishes to visit Jonathan. It is a terrible idea and I will not have him near  _ my  _ child. But,” He waved frantically towards his brother “this buffoon has gone ahead and allowed it despite my protests. I need to get Jonathan out of here right this instant.”

He glared at his brother. After all that Odin has done, he had hoped that his brother would have his back in this. Clearly not. The little traitor had been encouraging the old man’s behaviour and he was not going to stand for it. Didn’t he recall all the hurtful things the old man had said to his child? Did he not remember what he did to him?

Loki did.

**(Trigger warning for this next bit)**

Loki remembered all the arguments, the fighting and screaming and crying that would occur anytime the old man was around the child (which, Loki made sure, was rare). He remembered the little boy crying himself to sleep because his grandfather didn’t love him. He remembered the child’s cries after the incident, when he’d curled up at Loki’s side and cried about how he looked like a monster now. 

_ “I scawy now pabbi.” _

_ “People gon’ hate me, I gon’ scawe them.” _

_ “I a monster now, pabbi.” _

_ “Pwease turn me back, pabbi.”  _

He felt his blood boil at the thought of his little one’s words. He had helped that little, innocent boy deal with all the hateful words that were thrown at him. He has taught little Fenrir spells to disguise his differences (not that he needed to). He had reminded him that he was not a monster. But he shouldn’t have had to. If Odin had been any sort of grandparent, he would have treated the child with respect, instead, he had decided trauma was a fitting punishment (because how dare the child be born without his express permission!). He was (what the midgardians would call) a scumbag. He didn’t deserve to be anywhere near his child, why couldn’t Thor see that?

**(Trigger warning over)**

Trying to prevent an argument between the brothers (and being a bit lost as to what Odin had actually done), Stephen decided to take the safer approach.

“How about we see what Jonathan wants?”

**Author's Note:**

> So I kinda wanted to do this for a while so here it is. I love Jonathan and Loki and really wanted a fic with them being happy (the lil beans deserve some joy). I hope y'all enjoy. I have a bunch of ideas for future instalments of this series and I hope I can write them. Thank you anyone who took the time to read this, it means a lot :)


End file.
